BERKELEY 
LIBRARY 


Y  OF 
CALIFORNIA 


/! 


THE  TARPON 


BY 


LOUIS  L.  BABCOCK 


"Allah  counts  not  out  of  man's  allotted  span, 
the  time  he  spends  in  the  chase" 


SECOND  EDITION 


PRINTED  FOR 

PRIVATE   DISTRIBUTION 

1921 


I 


Copyright,  1920,  By 
Louis  L.  Babcock 


TO 

G.  W.  B. 


252 


CONTENTS 

I.  DESCRIPTION,  RANGE  AND  HABITS  OF  THE  TARPON. 
II.  THE  HISTORY  OF  ITS  CAPTURE  BY  ROD  AND  REEL. 

III.  TACKLE  AND  EQUIPMENT. 

IV.  HINTS  ON   FISHING  METHODS  AND  EXPEDIENTS. 
V.  APPENDIX. 


TARPON  ATLANTICUS 


THE     TARPON 


PREFACE 

articles  have  been  written  relating  to  the 
tarpon,  as  the  bibliography  in  the  appendix  will 
attest,  but  most  of  them  describe  isolated  cap- 
tures and  are  purely  subjective.  The  enthusiastic 
angler  catches  a  few  fish  and  hastens  to  give  the  world 
the  benefit  of  his  experience.  Little  has  been  said  on 
the  scientific  side  and  the  life  history  of  the  fish  is 
unknown. 

This  volume  has  been  prepared  in  the  hope  that  it 
will  stimulate  the  study  and  protection  of  this  noble  fish 
and  induce  anglers  to  attempt  its  capture  on  light  tackle 
in  a  sportsmanlike  way. 

The  statements  herein  contained  have  been  verified 
carefully,  but  it  will  be  appreciated  if  the  errors  in  the 
text  are  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  author  so  they 
may  be  corrected  in  a  subsequent  edition. 

My  acknowledgments  are  due  to  my  friend  Mr.  Mack 
Mickle  of  Boca  Grande,  Florida,  my  guide  on  four  trips, 
for  his  valuable  assistance  and  advice.  Mr.  John  B. 
Jack  of  the  same  place,  a  very  experienced  taxidermist 
and  student  of  the  tarpon,  has  answered  my  numerous 
questions  with  untiring  patience  and  accuracy. 

I  am  indebted  to  fellow  sportsmen  for  valuable  in- 
formation most  courteously  and  freely  given. 

726  Delaware  Avenue,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 


THE     TARPON 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION 

S 


CE  the  preparation  of  the  previous  edition  I 
have  made  three  trips  to  Boca  Grande,  Florida, 


and  much  material  has  accumulated  through 
personal  observation  and  correspondence  with  fellow 
anglers  and  Ichthyologists.  I  also  wished  to  correct 
several  errors  in  the  text.  I  hope  this  edition  will  meet 
with  the  kindly  reception  that  was  accorded  its  prede- 
cessor. 

I  have  made  no  attempt  to  interest  the  general 
reader.  This  book  has  been  prepared  for  the  use  of 
tarpon-anglers  who  are  interested  in  the  life  history 
and  habits  of  the  fish;  the  methods  employed  in  its 
capture  ;  the  record  catches  in  weight  and  numbers,  and 
similar  data  commonly  discussed  among  anglers  and 
guides  whilst  awaiting  a  strike. 

The  life  history  of  the  fish  is  unsolved.  Its  breeding 
habits  are  still  a  mystery.  I  shall  be  grateful  to  fellow 
anglers  if  they  will  advjise  me  of  any  interesting  facts 
relating  to  this  fish  which  may  come  under  their  per- 
sonal observation. 

Buffalo,  December,  1921. 


THE     TARPON 


CHAPTER  I 

DESCRIPTION   AND   HABITS 

|HE  TARPON  (Tarpon  atlanticus)  is  a  survival  from 
another  geological  epoch,  and  few  living  fishes 
have  a  longer  ancestry.  The  family  of  the 
Elopids  (Elopidae)  is  decadent  but  the  tarpon  stands 
unrivalled  as  a  game  fish  amongst  the  hundreds  of 
species  of  fish  inhabiting  the  salt  waters  of  the  eastern 
part  of  the  Western  Hemisphere. 

The  family  of  the  Elopids  was  very  numerous  as  far 
back  as  the  Cretaceous  period  and  as  early  as  the 
Eocene,  the  existing  type  made  its  appearance.  Allied 
genera  have  been  found  in  the  Cretaceous  of  Europe, 
Mount  Lebanon  and  Brazil.  The  Elopidae  have  a  bone 
between  the  branches  of  the  lower  jaw  called  a  gular 
plate  which  I  am  informed  occurs  in  no  other  living 
Teleostean  fish. 

It  seems  to  be  the  rule  that  fishes  having  specialized 
structures  like  peculiar  teeth  or  armor  and  those  which 
are  unsymmetrical  have  usually  failed  to  survive 
marked  changes  in  the  physical  history  of  the  earth. 
The  existence  of  the  tarpon  is  a  cogent  argument  in 
favor  of  the  conclusion  that  the  least  extreme  in  type 
are  best  fitted  to  survive. 

The  tarpon  has  been  assigned  many  scientific  names : 
Camaripuguacu.  Marcgravs  's  History  of  Brazil. 
1648. 


THE     TARPON 


Megalops  atlanticus.   Cuvier  &  Valenciennes. 
Megalops  elongatus.  Girard  Pro.  Nat.  Sci.  Phil., 

1858. 
Megalops  thrissoides.  Giinther. 

The  scientific  name  of  our  tarpon  is  Tarpon  atlanti- 
cus.  (Cuv.  &Val.) 

It  has  been  known  under  many  colloquial  names.  One 
of  the  earliest  was  Tarpum.  G.  Brown  Goode  in  his 
Catalogue  of  the  Fishes  of  Bermuda  says  this  name 
may  have  some  connection  with  the  one  current  in 
Barbados,  where  it  is  called  Caffum.  It  is  more  proba- 
ble that  it  is  of  Indian  origin.  Captain  William  Dam- 
pier  spoke  of  it  in  1675  as  the  Tarpom  and  Roman  in 
his  Concise  Natural  History  of  Florida  (1775)  did  the 
same.  The  name  Tarpum  is  used  sometimes  by  the 
Government  in  its  publications.  But  that  name  is 
rapidly  becoming  obsolete.  It  was  known  by  the  Cre- 
oles of  Louisiana  as  the  Grande  Ecaille  (large  scale) ; 
by  the  Georgians  as  Jew  fish;  at  Pensacola  as  Silver 
fish ;  by  the  natives  of  Massachusetts  as  Big  Scale ;  and 
it  is  called  Sabalo,  Savalo,  Savalle  and  Savanilla  by  the 
Spanish-American  peoples.  The  title  Silver  King  has 
been  frequently  applied  to  this  noble  fish  by  admiring 
anglers.  The  name  Tarpon  is  rapidly  supplanting  all 
others  by  the  common  consent  and  usage  of  the  anglers 
who  fish  for  it  in  steadily  increasing  numbers.  A 
technical  description  is  here  set  forth  from  Jordan  & 
Evermann's  standard  work  entitled  "American  Food 
and  Game  Fishes-'7 


THE     TARPON 


"THE  TABPOWS 

Family  IX.  Elopidae 

"Body  elongate,  more  or  less  compressed,  covered 
with  silvery  cycloid  scales;  head  naked;  mouth  broad, 
terminal,  the  lower  jaw  prominent;  premaxillaries  not 
protractile,  short,  the  maxillaries  forming  the  lateral 
margins  of  the  upper  jaw;  an  elongate,  bony  plate 
between  the  branches  of  the  lower  jaw ;  eye  large  with 
an  adipose  eyelid ;  bands  of  villif orm  teeth  in  each  jaw 
and  on  vomer,  palatines,  pterygoids,  tongue  and  base 
of  skull;  no  large  teeth;  opercular  bones,  thin  with 
expanded  membranous  borders;  a  scaly  occipital 
collar;  gill-membranes  entirely  separate,  free  from 
isthmus;  branchiostegals  numerous  (25  to  35);  gill 
rakers  long  and  slender ;  belly  not  keeled  nor  serrated, 
rather  broad  and  covered  with  ordinary  scales ;  lateral 
line  present ;  dorsal  fin  inserted  over  or  slightly  behind 
the  ventrals ;  caudal  fin  forked ;  no  adipose  fin ;  dorsal 
and  anal  depressible  into  a  sheath  of  scales ;  pectorals 
and  ventrals  each  with  a  very  long,  accessory  scale; 
pyloric  caeca  numerous. 

"Genera,  3,  species  4  or  5  forming  two  well  marked 
subfamilies,  both  widely  distributed  in  the  tropical 
seas.  The  species  are  not  much  valued  as  food,  the 
flesh  being  dry  and  bony,  but  they  are  among  the 
greatest  of  game  fishes.  In  our  waters  we  have  two 
genera,  each  represented  by  a  single  species. 

"(a)  Pseudobranchiae  none;  body  oblong,  cov- 
ered with  large  scales;  anal  fin  larger  than  the 


10  THETARPON 


dorsal;  last  ray  of  dorsal  produced  into  a  long 
filament. 


Tarpon 

"(b)  Pseudobranchiae  large;  body  elongate, 
covered  with  small  scales;  anal  fin  smaller  than 
the  dorsal;  last  ray  of  dorsal  not  produced  in  a 
filament. 


Elops 


1 '  Genus  Tarpon,  Jordan  &  Evennann. 
"Body  oblong,  compressed,  covered  with  very 
large  thick  silvery  cycloid  scales;  belly  narrow, 
but  not  carinated,  its  edge  with  ordinary  scales; 
lateral  line  nearly  straight,  its  tubes  radiating 
widely  over  the  surface  of  the  scales;  dorsal  fin 
short  and  high,  inserted  behind  the  ventrals,  the 
last  ray  long  and  filamentous;  anal  fin  falcate, 
much  longer  than  the  dorsal,  its  last  ray  produced ; 
caudal  widely  forked,  and  more  or  less  scaly.  Only 
one  species  known.  *  *  * 

4 'Head,  4;  depth,  3%;  eye,  4%0;  snout,  5;  max- 
iliary,  1%  D.  12;  A  20;  scales  5-42-5;  branchioste- 
gals,  23;  dorsal  filament  longer  than  the  head; 
color  uniform  bright  silvery,  darkish  on  back.  The 
proportional  measurements  in  the  young  are  some- 
what different,  in  examples  of  3  inches  long  being 
as  follows:  Head,  3y3;  depth,  4%;  eye,  3V3; 
snout,  4%." 


CAMARIPUGUACUS  (1648 


THETARPON  11 


The  osteological  characteristics  of  the  family  have 
been  treated  by  Dr.  W.  G.  Bidewood  in  the  Proceedings 
of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London  for  1904  (Vol.  II, 
pp.  35-81). 

The  earliest  scientific  description  of  the  tarpon  or 
camaripuguacus  as  it  is  there  named  occurs  in  Georgius 
Marcgravius  Historiae  renim  naturalium  Braziliae 
published  at  Ley  don  and  Amsterdam  in  1648.  The  book 
is  written  in  Latin.  A  copy  of  the  interesting  drawing 
of  the  fish  is  here  reproduced,  and  the  latin  text  has 
been  kindly  translated  by  Mr.  Philip  Becker  Goetz  of 
the  University  of  Buffalo.  Diligent  search  has  indi- 
cated that  this  is  the  earliest  description  and  drawing 
of  the  tarpon,  at  least,  in  Americana.  The  translation 
follows : 

6 '  Among  common  sea-fish  is  found  the  Camari- 
puguacus, which  at  maturity  attains  the  bulk  and 
size  of  a  man  and  is  exceedingly  fat.  It  possesses 
a  very  large  toothless  mouth,  its  lower  jaw  fixed 
and  its  upper  shorter.  The  eyes  are  large  and 
silvery;  its  tail  broad,  somewhat  forked;  and  to 
its  dorsal  fin  when  erect  there  is  a  long  appendage 
attached  like  a  thick  rope  running  straight  toward 
the  tail.  The  entire  fish  is  covered  with  scales 
which  are  closely  placed  upon  it,  and  so  beautifully 
diversified  is  the  silver  with  the  blue  that  it  seems 
coated  as  if  with  pure  silver.  That  it  may  be  the 
more  pleasing  to  the  taste,  it  should  be  caught 
young  and  cooked  rather  long  on  account  of  its 
thick  and  solid  flesh  which  is  full  of  thick  spines ; 


12  THETARPON 


for  when  it  is  no  longer  young,  its  meat  would 
prove  tough  and  fit  only  for  porters. M 

Dr.  Theodore  Gill,  one  of  the  great  authorities  on 

Ichthyology,  in  his  article  "The  Tarpon  and  Lady  Fish 

and  their  Relatives"  published  by  the   Smithsonian 

Institute  in  Vol.  48  of  its  Miscellaneous  Collection  says : 

"The  tarpon  has  an  elongated  fusiform  shape; 

the   forehead   is   slightly   incurved    (rather   than 

straight)   to  the  snout;  the  chin  projects  and  is 

obliquely  truncated;  the  dorsal  (with  twelve  rays) 

is  on  the  posterior  half  of  the  body  nearly  midway 

between  the  ventrals  and  anal;  its  free  margin  is 

very  sloping  and  incurved  and  its  long  hind  ray 

reaches  nearly  to  the  vertical  of  the  anal ;  the  anal 

(with  twenty  rays)  is  about  twice  as  long  as  the 

dorsal  and  falciform;  the  caudal  fin  has  a  very 

wide  V-shaped  emargination.    The  scales  are  in 

about  forty-two  oblique  rows." 

The  late  Dr.  Charles  F.  Holder,  the  noted  angler, 
gave  a  more  simple  and  colloquial  description  in  his 
"Big  Game  Fishes  of  the  United  States"  a  book  which 
should  be  in  the  library  of  every  sea-angler.  He  says : 
"In  appearance  the  tarpon  is  long,  slender  and 
thin  or  compressed — the  typical  herring  type.  Its 
mouth  is   enormous   and   strikingly   oblique   and 
when  open,  the  gill  covers  expanded,  showing  the 
blood  red  gills,  as  often  seen  when  leaping,  it  pre- 
sents  an   extraordinary  grotesque,   even  cynical 
appearance.     The  lower  jaw  is  very  prominent, 
suggestive  of  a  determination  not  to  be  caught ;  the 


THETARPON  13 


teeth  are  minute,  like  velvet  or  plush  (villiform) 
and  the  interior  of  the  cavernous  mouth  is  hard 
and  difficult  to  penetrate.  The  eye  of  the  tarpon  is 
large  and  striking  and  its  glare  has  more  than 
once  given  a  novice  a  tremor,  as  the  gigantic  fish 
seemed  to  hang  in  the  air  dangerously  near  the 
boat.  The  dorsal  fin  is  high,  but  short,  shaped  like 
a  lateen  sail,  the  last  ray  long  and  slender  reaching 
backward  halfway  to  the  base  of  the  tail. 

"The  latter  is  deeply  forked,  a  powerful  organ 

by  which  the  tarpon  leaps.   The  most  remarkable 

feature  is  the  scales,   which   are   enormous,   the 

largest  being  three  inches  and  a  half  in  length.  One 

in  my  possession  measures  three  inches  and  a  half 

by  three  inches,  almost  one-half  seemingly  covered 

with  molten  silver.  The  upper  portion  of  the  back 

has  a  metallic  blue  cast,  appearing  green  in  the 

water;  the  rest  of  the  body  is  pure  silver. " 

The  tarpon  has  few  kinsmen.    The  Megalops  cypri- 

noides  is  the  type  of  the  genus  and  is  found  in  the 

Indian  Ocean,  Africa  and  Northern  Australia,  where 

it  is  known  as  the  Ox  Eye. 

The  posterior  insertion  of  the  dorsal  fin  distinguishes 
the  tarpon  from  this  fish,  which  carries  its  dorsal  fin 
above  the  ventrals.  (Jordan  &  Evermann).  There  are 
other  distinguishing  features  not  necessary  to  refer  to 
here. 

Elops  saurus,  commonly  known  as  the  "  ten  pounder ' ' 
is  a  kinsman  and  it  too  has  a  blood  brother  in  the  Congo 
and  in  the  waters  of  Western  Africa  bearing  the  scien- 
tific name  of  Elops  lacerta.  I  am  informed  that  this 


14  T  H  E     T  A  R  P  O  N 


completes  the  list  of  the  survivors  of  Elopidae,  once  a 
great  and  numerous  family.  The  tarpon  ranges  over  a 
wide  domain,  for  its  deeply  forked  tail  and  symmetri- 
cal and  muscular  body  fit  it  for  swift  and  enduring 
action.  It  is  found  as  far  south  as  Argentina  and 
is  common  along  the  coast  of  Brazil.  It  has  been 
recorded  twice  as  far  north  as  Nova  Scotia;  once 
off  Isaac's  Harbor  and  once  from  Harrigan  Cove, 
where  it  was  speared  in  eel  grass.  The  latter  speci- 
men was  taken  on  September  6th,  1906,  and  is  in  the 
Provincial  Museum  at  Halifax  (Check  list  of  fishes 
of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  1913).  These  facts  in- 
dicate that  the  tarpon  can  live  in  cold  water  if  the 
temperature  slowly  declines.  It  frequently  ranges  as 
far  north  as  the  coast  of  Massachusetts,  where  it  has 
been  taken  in  fish  traps  and  nets.  The  fish  was  de- 
scribed as  occurring  in  Long  Island  Sound  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Science,  Phil. 
1858.  The  author  is  indebted  to  Dr.  C.  H.  Townsend, 
Director  of  the  New  York  Aquarium,  for  the  following 
interesting  information,  contained  in  a  recent  letter : 

"The  Aquarium  (New  York  City)  has  had  living 
tarpons  at  three  different  times,  all  of  which  were 
taken  in  summer  in  the  southern  part  of  New  York 
Bay. 

'*  The  tarpon  is  known  to  visit  our  coast  as  a  late 
summer  straggler.  Two  specimens  were  captured 
in  a  pound  net  in  the  lower  bay  on  July  27,  1906. 
They  were  brought  to  the  Aquarium  and  placed  in 
a  large  pool,  where  they  lived  two  months.  They 
might  have  lived  longer  had  the  pool  been  supplied 


THETARPON  15 


with  pure  sea  water,  but  the  supply  at  that  time 
was  derived  from  the  harbor,  which  is  brackish  and 
sewage  laden.  The  other  tarpons  lived  about  as 
long." 

The  tarpon  is  a  littoral  fish  but  it  has  been  found  in 
the  Northern  Atlantic  as  far  east  as  Bermuda,  although 
it  is  extremely  rare  there.  It  is  apparently  fond  of 
fresh  water  and  is  acclimated  to  it  readily  for  it  ascends 
fresh  water  rivers  for  a  considerable  distance — over 
one  hundred  miles  in  one  case  reported  from  Mexico. 
It  can  live  in  fresh  water  for  a  long  time,  if  not  per- 
manently. 

It  has  been  observed  far  up  the  Apalachicola, 
Homosassa  and  other  rivers  in  Florida  and  in  various 
rivers  in  Texas  and  Mexico,  as  well  as  Nicaragua 
Lake,  ' '  which  has  long  been  famous  as  the  home  of  the 
species "  (Gill).  The  following1  statements  are  taken 
from  "The  Nicaragua  Canal,"  by  W.  E.  Simmons 
(Harper  &  Bros.,  N.  Y.,  1900).  The  author  is  referring 
to  Lake  Nicaragua  and  its  only  outlet,  the  San  Juan 
River,  which  flows  into  the  Caribbean  and  is  about  one 
hundred  ten  miles  long.  He  says : 

"But  the  game  fish  par  excellence  of  the  fresh 
water  is  the  *  Savalo-real '  or  tarpon,  which  fairly 
swarms  in  the  river  and  lake.  I  am  inclined  to 
think  that  the  San  Juan  River  and  Lake  Nicaragua 
are  the  principal  breeding  places  of  this  fish  and 
that  it  is  a  mere  migratory  visitant  to  our  coast. 
Wherever  there  is  a  shoal  place  in  the  river  it  is 
to  be  seen  breaking  by  the  hundreds  and  at  the 
Toro  Eapids  above  Castillo  they  are  so  numerous 


16  THETARPON 


that  they  frequently  jump  into  the  boats  ascending 
or  descending.    As  many  as  five  measuring  from 
4'  to  6'  in  length  have  been  known  to  jump  into  a 
boat  on  one  trip  down  the  rapids,  which  are  only 
fifteen  miles  long.   They  are  apt  to  bite  the  occu- 
pants of  the  boat  or  injure  them  by  floundering 
about  and   so   a  boatman   usually   stands   ready 
armed  with  a  machete  to  cut  their  heads  off  as  soon 
as  they  strike  the  deck.  They  are  not  esteemed  for 
eating  and  nobody  attempts  to  catch  them." 
Lake  Nicaragua  is  over  one  hundred  feet  above  the 
Atlantic  and  its  outlet  has  five  sharp  rapids.     It  is 
obvious  that  fine  sport  can  be  obtained  in  the  river 
although  Simmons'  statements  are  possibly  too  highly 
colored. 

The  fish  has  been  reported  from  all  the  States  of  the 
Atlantic  seaboard,  as  well  as  Central  America  and  all 
the  West  Indies.  It  abounds  at  the  spillway  of  the 
Gatun  Dam,  where  it  can  be  caught  on  a  fly ;  but  it  has 
not  been  reported  from  the  Pacific.  As  it  is  a  warm 
water  fish  it  is  natural  that  it  should  retire  toward  the 
tropics  during  cold  weather;  and  therefore,  it  is  not 
found  at  the  northern  and  southern  extremes  of  its 
range,  save  when  it  is  warm.  Few  fishes  seem  to  be 
able  to  withstand  marked  and  sudden  changes  in  tem- 
perature, and  the  tarpon  is  no  exception.  During  a 
cold  wave  in  Florida  which  occurred  on  January  26-27, 
1905,  the  tarpon  seemed  benumbed  by  the  cold  and 
large  numbers  became  so  helpless  that  they  were  easily 
harpooned.  (Mr.  E.  J.  Brown  in  Forest  and  Stream.) 
It  apparently  cannot  stand  sudden  changes  in  tempera- 


THETARPON  17 


ture ;  but  it  is  indisputable  that  it  has  a  range  over  80 
degrees  of  latitude. 

Its  breeding  habits  are  unknown  and  so  far  no  one 
has  reported  that  he  has  seen  the  spawn  of  this  fish. 
The  facts  which  have  been  collated  bearing  upon  its 
spawning  will  be  here  set  forth.  Some  fish  can  be  found 
at  any  time  along  the  West  Coast  of  Florida,  but  com- 
paratively few  large  fish  winter  as  far  north  as  Char- 
lotte Harbor.  According  to  Dr.  Holder  there  seems  to 
be  two  streams  of  migration  from  Mexico.  * '  One  moves 
along  the  Gulf  Coast  from  Mexico  to  Louisiana;  and 
the  other  possibly  passing  up  the  Windward  Islands  so 
reaching  Key  West  or  vicinity  following  up  the  Keys 
to  the  Cape,  some  following  the  East  and  others  the 
West  Coast.  I  infer  this  from  the  fact  that  if  the  vast 
schools  moved  north  in  the  center  of  the  Gulf  they 
would  have  been  noticed  at  the  Tortugas  group,  where, 
as  stated,  the  fish  are  rare. ' ' 

They  begin  to  show  along  the  West  Coast  of  Florida 
in  February,  and  from  then  on  their  numbers  steadily 
increase  up  to  July.  They  do  not  take  the  bait  readily 
till  April  or  May,  or  later,  if  the  Spring  be  cool.  The 
fishing  here  is  at  its  best  in  June,  July  and  August. 
Tarpon  have  been  caught  at  Boca  Grande  in  December 
and  January  and  a  few  are  found  off  the  West  Coast 
the  year  around.  They  ascend  Floridian  rivers  for  a 
considerable  distance.  On  the  East  Coast  of  Florida 
they  also  can  be  caught  at  any  season,  but  they  are 
never  so  plenty  as  on  the  other  coast.  It  feeds  upon 
mullet,  sardines,  shrimp,  needlefish,  crabs  and  such  like 
prey. 


18  THETARPON 


The  very  young  of  the  tarpon  were  not  observed  for 
many  years.  A  ten  or  eleven-pound  fish  was  rarely 
caught,  and  until  1900  the  smallest  tarpon  in  the 
National  Museum  was  nine  inches  long.  Dimock  re- 
corded the  capture  of  many  tarpon  weighing  less  than 
two  pounds  in  the  Harney  River  near  the  Everglades 
and  stated  that  the  Allen  and  Turner  rivers  on  the 
West  Coast  are  nurseries  for  them.  He  caught  them 
on  an  eight  ounce  rod  with  a  fly. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  George  E.  Bruner  of  Kokomo, 
Indiana,  for  some  very  interesting  facts.  Mr.  Bruner 
has  a  winter  residence  at  Everglade,  Florida.  In  a 
recent  letter  he  says : 

"For  ten  years  I  have  fished  for  and  caught 
tarpon,  the  gamiest  of  all  fish,  among  the  Ten 
Thousand  Islands  that  surround  my  winter  camp, 
and  farther  down  the  Coast  around  the  mouths  of 
Chatham,  Losmans,  Rogers,  Harvey  and  Shark 
Rivers.  We  get  them  to  bite  here  long  before  they 
appear  at  Captiva  and  Boca  Grande.  I  have  caught 
them  in  every  month  from  October  to  May.  Last 
winter  (20-21)  in  the  upper  Shark  River  during 
the  month  of  February  I  found  the  water  full  of 
small  tarpon  from  eight  to  twelve  inches  long. 
They  were  jumping  and  striking  constantly,  thou- 
sands of  them,  and  had  the  water  churned  up  and 
dirty  from  their  activities.  I  had  gone  up  there  to 
fish  for  black  bass,  the  water  being  fresh,  but  the 
small  tarpon  had  evidently  driven  the  bass  away 
for  I  could  not  get  a  strike  from  a  bass  although  a 
few  weeks  before  we  had  had  wonderful  bass  fish- 


T  H  E     T  A  R  P  O  X  19 


ing.    I  used  my  fly  rod  with,  dry  fly,  small  spinner 
and  small  pieces  of  cut  bait  and  succeeded   in 
catching  several  but  found  them  hard  to  hook.    A 
few  years  ago  while  fishing  for  bass  with,  artificial 
bait  in,  the  headwaters  of  North  Eiver  which  flows 
into  White  Water  Bay  a  tarpon  perhaps  five  feet 
long  struck  my  bait  and  carried  it  with  a  goodly 
portion  of  my  line  away  with  him,  which  proves 
that  at  times  they  like  fresh  water.7' 
Mr.  Frank  Gray  Griswold,  in  his  beautifully  printed 
volumes  entitled  "Sport  on  Land  and  Water"  (pri- 
vately printed)  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  while 
tarpon  are  in  rivers  and  not  in  motion  they  lie  upon 
the  bottom,  coming  to  the  surface  at  intervals  for  a 
mouthful  of  air  which  comes  up  in  bubbles  for  some 
time  after  they  have  again  retired  to  the  bottom.    A 
very  small  tarpon  which  he  caught  in  a  net  and  placed 
in  a  tub  of  water  did  the  same  thing.    He  has  searched 
about  twenty  Cuban  rivers  for  tarpon,  finding  them  in 
only  five,  viz. : 

Zaraguanacan  (north  coast), 
Jatibonico  (south  coast), 
Bio  Negro       "          " 
Damuji  "          " 

Los  Angeles  (Isle  of  Pines). 

He  has  observed  that  the  fish  move  up  and  down 
with  the  tide  in  schools  of  twenty  or  more,  and  that 
small  fish  seem  to  remain  for  several  years  in  brack- 
ish waters  before  going  to  sea.  Pish  of  from  three 
to  five  pounds  are  plentiful  in  these  Cuban  rivers.  He 
makes  the  interesting  observation  that  they  do  not 


20  THETARPON 


seem  to  go  above  the  tide  into  fresh  water.  The  natives 
eat  them  fresh  and  salted. 
In  a  recent  letter  Mr.  Griswold  says : 

"If  yon  want  to  find  out  about  young  tarpon  you 
should  go  to  the  headwaters  of  streams  where  they 
spawn  in  brackish  water.  I  saw  500  small  tarpon 
at  one  time  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Jatibonico, 
Cuba,  last  Winter.  You  will  find  the  small  tarpon 
far  up  Shark,  Harney,  Broad  and  Turner  Rivers 
on  the  West  Coast  of  Florida.  The  fish  do  spawn 
on  sand  banks  inside  the  Passes,  I  fancy,  but  not 
as  a  rule.  I  have  taken  fish  under  one  pound  in 
Cuba.  There  is  a  pond  of  brackish  water  back  of 
St.  James  City,  Florida,  with  no  outlet,  with  many 
small  tarpon  in  it  (from  one  to  four  pounds).  The 
spawn  must  have  been  dropped  by  birds  or  carried 
from  the  beach  by  alligators.  The  fish  do  not  grow 
for  they  have  but  little  food.  It  is  my  belief  that 
the  tarpon  grow  very  slowly  and  that  the  large 
ones  are  of  great  age. ' ' 

He  also  advises  me  that  tarpon  frequently  remain 
in  the  deep  holes  of  certain  rivfers  in  Florida  during 
the  entire  Winter  and  show  themselves  on  warm  days 
when  the  water  reaches  68°  or  upwards.  He  has  taken 
several  on  live  mullet  in  the  St.  Lucie  River  in  January 
and  February. 

The  late  F.  G.  Aflalo,  the  author  of  that  attractive 
book  "Sunshine  and  Sport  in  Florida  and  the  West 
Indies "  records  the  fact  that  very  small  tarpon  are 
found  in  land-locked  waters  of  the  West  Indies.  They 
are  found  in  ponds  in  Westmoreland,  Jamaica,  and  in 


THETARPON  21 


the  Lakes  of  Antoine  and  Levera  in  Granada.  They  are 
caught  in  the  Black  and  Milk  Rivers  of  Jamaica  and 
off  Port  Eoyal. 

The  mature  fish  begin  to  arrive  in  considerable  num- 
bers at  Aransas  Pass,  Texas,  about  March,  but  they 
do  not  take  the  bait  readily  till  May  or  June.  They 
disappear  from  this  locality  about  November  15th. 
The  fishing  here  is  at  its  best  during  June  and  October. 

Mr.  J.  E.  Cotter  of  Aransas  Pass  informs  me  that 
the  females  are  full  of  roe  in  May  and  June  and  he  is 
of  the  opinion  that  they  spawn  in  the  near-by  Bays 
during  these  months.  He  has  caught  3"  tarpon  in  a 
cast  net  in  this  locality. 

The  Panuco  River  at  Tampico,  Mexico,  and  its  trib- 
utary streams  are  also  supposed  to  be  breeding  places. 
They  are  found  there  in  great  numbers  from  November 
to  April,  which  roughly  corresponds  to  the  months 
during  which  they  are  absent  from  our  Southern 
Coasts. 

Mr.  William  Markham  of  Cristobal,  Canal  Zone,  has 
been  on  the  Isthmus  about  thirteen  years.  He  informs 
me  that  tarpon  as  small  as  10"  have  been  caught  there 
on  a  fly,  but  he  has  never  seen  smaller  fish  in  these 
waters.  Great  quantities  of  small  fish  come  down  the 
spillway  of  the  Gatun  Dam  and  are  greedily  devoured 
by  thousands  of  waiting  tarpon.  The  tarpon  are  pres- 
ent perennially  at  this  point.  Mr.  Markham  has  used 
small  nets  to  obtain  bait  for  mackerel  for  many  years 
but  he  never  caught  a  very  small  tarpon  in  any  of  the 
creeks  or  coves  of  this  region.  He  has  made  inquiries 
of  the  natives  at  my  request  but  they  report  they  have 


22  THE     T  A  R  P  O  N 


never  seen  the  very  small  tarpon.  The  record  in  the 
Canal  waters  seems  to  be  118  pounds,  the  fish  being 
6'  6"  in  length.  Mr.  Markham  has  had  the  best  suc- 
cess when  fishing  with  a  brown  fly  of  his  own  con- 
struction. 

In  the  Government  publication  entitled  "Fishes  of 
Porto  Eico"  (Ehrmann  &  Marsh,  1900),  Mr.  Barton 
W.  Evermann  reported  that  tarpon  evidently  spawn 
near  that  island.  The  Government  report  describes 
the  specimens  taken  as  follows: 

"The  four  examples  are  from  Hucares,  from 
7.5  to  11.5  inches  long,  and  were  seined  in  a  small 
brackish  pool  of  dark-colored  water  not  over  five 
feet  deep  in  the  corner  of  a  mangrove  swamp  and 
at  that  time  (February)  entirely  separated  from 
the  Ocean  by  a  narrow  strip  of  land  scarcely 
twenty-five  feet  wide.  The  thirteen  others  are 
nearly  all  very  young  of  2.25  to  3.25  inches  col- 
lected at  Fajardo.  No  large  individuals  were 


seen." 


Fajardo  is  on  a  coast  poorly  protected  against  the 
northeast  trade  winds. 

As  these  fish  were  obviously  very  young  the  evi- 
dence afforded  by  their  capture  at  Porto  Rico  as  bear- 
ing upon  the  breeding  place  of  the  fish  is  significant. 
Gill  states  that  all  of  these  fish  were  the  young  of  the 
first  year. 

It  is  believed  by  some  that  the  young  pass  through 
what  naturalists  call  a  leptocephalus  stage  before  de- 
veloping into  perfect  fish.  Gill  states: 


THE     TARPON  23 


"The  very  young  or  larvae  will  doubtless  be 
found  to  be  like  those  of  Elops  and  Albula  elon- 
gate ribbon-like  animals  of  translucent  and  color- 
less texture  with  a  very  small  head  and  small  fins. 
They  are  probably  so  transparent  that  their  eyes 
alone  are  apparent  in  the  water  unless  a  very 
close  examination  is  made.  The  youngest  of  the 
specimens  (2.25  inches  long)  observed  by  Ever- 
mann  and  Marsh  were  probably  not  long  before 
developed  from  the  larval  condition.  Such  are  the 
little  fishes  to  be  looked  for  as  the  very  young  of 
the  great  tarpon. 

"Most  of  the  large  tarpons  caught  along  the 
Coasts  of  Florida  and  the  Southern  States  have 
attained  full  maturity    *    *    *    they  are  probably 
nearly  or  over  three  years  old.    Growth,  however, 
is  continued  in  some  much  above  the  average,  one 
of  three  hundred  and  eighty-three  pounds  it  is 
claimed  having  been  harpooned." 
It  is  not  at  all  certain,  however,  that  these  fish  breed 
in  pools  or  in  rivers.    The  consensus  of  scientific  au- 
thority seems  to  be  to  the  contrary,  although  Dr.  Gill 
has  expressed  the  following  opinion : 

"It  apparently  demands  a  temperature  and  con- 
ditions which  the  reef -forming  coral  animals  re- 
quire and  sheltered  brackish  or  fresh  water  for 
oviposition. ' ' 

In  some  fishes  there  is  a  change  in  the  young  from 
a  larva  to  a  true  fish.  This  is  termed  a  metamorphosis. 
The  first  organisms  are  termed  by  naturalists,  lep- 
tocephali,  which  are  semi-translucent,  ribbon  shaped 


24  THETARPON 


and  entirely  different  and  larger  than  the  fish  that 
finally  develop.  If  the  tarpon  develops  into  a  true 
fish  from  this  stage  possibly  the  larva  has  been  over- 
looked by  observers. 

Many  fish  deposit  their  eggs  in  the  open  sea  and  the 
tarpon  may  do  the  same,  which  accounts  for  the  fact 
that  the  larval  condition  has  not  been  noticed.  The  sub- 
ject is  worthy  of  patient  investigation  in  the  field  and 
it  is  to  be  hoped  that  all  sportsmen  and  guides  will 
report  to  the  author  any  facts  which  may  come  to  their 
attention  throwing  light  upon  this  obscure  subject. 

Dr.  Alexander  Meek,  M.  S.,  has  lately  (1916)  pub- 
lished a  book  entitled  "The  Migrations  of  Fish"  in 
which    he    considers    the    spawning    habits    of    the 
Elopidae.    Attention  is  invited  to  his  statements  bear- 
ing in  mind  that  the  term  '  '  Anadromous ' ?  is  applied 
to  a  fish  which  migrates  from  the  sea  into  fresh  water 
like  a  salmon. "    ' '  Contranatent "  signifies  swimming 
against  and  "denatent"  swimming  with  the  current. 
"The  family  Elopidae  includes  Elops  lacerta  of 
the  West  Coast  of  Africa  where  it  enters  rivers 
and  E.  saurus,  which  is  generally  distributed  in 
tropical  waters.    The  latter  also  enters  rivers  as 
in  East  Africa,  where  it  is  called  Cape  Salmon. 
But  it  is  evident  that  spawning  takes  place  at  sea, 
since  a  leptocephalus  stage  is  known.   The  tarpon 
(Me galops  atlanticus  of  the  Atlantic  tropical  and 
southern  region  and  M.  cyprinoides  of  the  Indian 
Ocean  and  the  seas  of  the  East  Indies)  is  well 
known  in  the  open  seas  and  periodically  visits  the 
coasts,  even  ascending  the  rivers  in  pursuit  of 


THETARPON  25 


shoals  of  fish.  At  the  period  of  its  visits  to  the 
coast  it  attracts  the  angler,  who,  in  search  of  ad- 
venture, essays  with  success  to  capture  a  giant 
fish  with  the  rod.  Megalops  is  represented  in  the 
marine  Lower  Eocene  of  Sheppey  and  probably 
Elops  as  well  and  allied  genera  have  been  obtained 
from  the  Cretaceous  of  Europe,  Mount  Lebanon 
and  Brazil. 

"It  is  probable  that  these  more  oceanic  allies 
of  the  herring  have  pelagic  eggs,  and  that  spawn- 
ing takes  place  out  at  sea,  but  this  does  not  pre- 
clude an  anadromous  migration  taking  place. 

"The  spawning  migrants  appear  to  migrate 
towards  the  coast  before  spawning  takes  place, 
but  the  spawning  region  is  sufficiently  far  from 
the  Coast  to  demand  a  denatent  .drift  of  the  eggs 
and  larvae  to  the  Coast  where  the  early  life  is 
spent.  After  metamorphosis  the  young  stages 
are  passed  in  comparatively  shallow  water.  The 
life  history  of  these  fish  may  be  said  to  be,  there- 
fore, and  it  applies  as  well  to  the  bathypelagic 
Pterothrissus;  a  denatent  drift  of  the  egg  and 
larvae  to  or  towards  the  shore;  after  a  season 
spent  in  shallow  water  a  short  contranatent  migra- 
tion, a  return  denatent  migration,  a  stronger  con- 
tranatent movement  into  deep  water  and,  finally, 
a  spawning  migration,  which,  as  has  been  said,  is 
probably  a  anadromous  one  from  the  oceanic 
region  of  dispersal/' 

An  accomplished  and  sound  authority,  Mr.  J.   T. 
Nichols,   of  the   Department   of   Ichthyology   of   the 


26  THE    TARPON 


Museum  of  National  History  of  New  York,  to  whom 
this  matter  was  submitted,  kindly  wrote  the  following 
interpretative  of  Dr.  Meek's  text: 

"I  take  it  the  theory  is  something  as  follows: 
1 '  When  about  to  spawn,  the  fish  migrate  towards 
the  coast  but  the  eggs  are  actually  deposited 
rather  off-shore,  though  after  or  at  about  this 
time  the  adult  fish  enter  the  mouths  of  rivers. 
When  the  eggs  hatch  the  young  drift  in-shore  and 
are  found  near  shore,  presently  moving  off-shore 
again.  They  move  in-shore  for  the  second  time 
when  of  fairly  good  size,  but  move  well  off-shore 
for  the  second  time  to  attain  their  final  growth 
before  coming  in  as  adults. 

"The  data  of  what  is  actually  known  that  I 
have  to  go  on  is  no  more  than  that  with  which  you 
are  already  familiar.  The  smallest  fish  that  I  have 
seen  taken  were  on  the  west  coast  of  Florida, 
some  of  them  up  Shark  River  in  fresh  water.  The 
very  smallest  I  should  say  was  about  20  inches  in 
length.  Really  small  fish  are  rare  in  collections, 
practically  unknown  except  those  taken  at  Porto 
Rico  and  recorded  in  the  i Fishes  of  Porto  Rico' 
by  Evermann  and  Marsh,  Bull.  U.  S.  Fish  Com- 
mission, 1900.  One  of  these  I  may  say  is  deposit- 
ed in  this  Museum.  It  was  taken  at  the  north- 
eastern corner  of  Porto  Rico,  February  17th,  and 
measures  about  2y2  inches  in  total  length.  *  *  * 
One  of  the  small  herrings  (Opisthonema  oglinum), 
which  has  an  elongate  ray  in  the  back  fin,  could 


T  H  E     T  A  R  P  O  N  27 


readily  be  mistaken  for  a  young  tarpon  by  anyone 
without  scientific  training. 

"  These  facts  fit  rather  well  with  Meek's  hy- 
pothesis and  I  accept  it  as  probably  about  correct. 
Supposing  the  tarpon  to  spawn  off-shore  in  the 
Central  Atlantic  area,  north  of  the  Equatorial 
drift  and  southeast  of  the  gulf  stream,  sometime 
in  the  late  summer  or  fall,  after  leaving  the  west 
coast  of  Florida;  the  young  in  their  first  shore- 
ward drift  might  well  be  carried  to  Porto  Rico  by 
the  northeast  trade  winds.  The  fact  that  the  very 
small  Porto  Bican  fish  were  found  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  Island  which  projects  into  the 
trade  winds,  is  perhaps  significant.  Also,  in  leav- 
ing the  west  coast  of  Florida  for  such  an  Atlantic 
spawning  ground,  the  fish  would  cross  the  Gulf 
Stream,  and  it  is  in  summer  and  fall  that  strag- 
glers occur  northward  along  the  coast,  doubtless 
carried  by  the  Gulf  Stream.  There  are  records  in 
the  vicinity  of  New  York  and  further  north. 

"  Leaving  Porto  Rico  on  the  outward  migra- 
tion, it  would  be  natural  for  young  fish  to  enter 
the  Caribbean  and  from  thence  with  the  Gulf 
Stream,  enter  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the  com- 
paratively small  specimens  found  up  the  rivers 
of  the  west  coast  of  Florida  may  well  be  fishes  of 
the  second  shoreward  migration. " 

I  have  examined  the  tarpon  Mr.  Nichols  refers  to, 
which  is  the  smallest  yet  recorded.  It  is  perfectly  de- 
veloped and  like  the  larger  fish. 


28  THETARPON 


I  submit  that  one  is  safe  in  concluding  that  the 
tarpon  breed  in  many  places  widely  remote,  for  the 
facts  disclose  that  very  young  fish  are  found  in 
Florida,  Porto  Bico,  Cuba,  Aransas  Pass  and  Lake 
Nicaragua. 

Although  I  have  written  scores  of  letters  to  officials, 
societies  and  anglers  at  many  places  I  have  not  been 
able  to  gather  more  than  the  data  here  set  forth. 

While  fishing  at  Boca  Grande  on  June  5th,  1921,  I 
captured  a  female  tarpon  which  weighed  142  pounds 
and  was  6'  8"  long.  The  ovaries  were  full  of  immature 
eggs  and  were  carefully  dissected  out  of  the  fish  after 
being  measured.  They  were  28"  in  length  and  about 
3"  in  diameter  in  the  thickest  parts.  1  enclosed  them 
in  two  glass  jars  partially  filled  with  the  formalin 
solution  and  sent  them  to  Mr.  Nichols  of  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History  for  his  examination  and 
deductions.  Mr.  Nichols  found  that  the  gross  weight 
of  these  eggs,  including  the  membranes  enclosing 
them,  was  82%  ounces.  He  caused  a  portion  of  an 
ounce  of  eggs  to  be  counted  and  found  that  there 
were  163,840  eggs  per  ounce.  After  deducting  10% 
for  the  weight  of  the  membranes  in  the  mass  it  is  evi- 
dent that  this  fish  contained  approximately  12,201,984 
eggs.  While  the  estimation  was  not  exact  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  a  large  female  carries  over  ten  million  eggs. 
If  each  egg  had  developed  into  a  fish  as  large  as  the 
parent  the  sea  would  have  been  enriched  with  866,340 
tons  of  tarpon.  Such  is  the  prodigality  of  nature ! 

In  my  trip  of  1920  to  the  same  locality  I  examined 
the  eggs  from  nine  females  taken  from  June  5th  to 


THETARPON  29 


June  22nd,  1920.  One  female  was  spent,  having  very 
few  eggs  left  in  the  ovaries  and  these  contained  minute 
specks  of  blood.  She  was  bright  and  healthy  looking, 
having  the  appearance  of  being  fresh  from  the  sea. 
It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  tarpon  which  has  a  dis- 
tinct yellowish  color,  which  to  my  mind  denotes  a  com- 
paratively long  sojourn  either  in  fresh  or  shallow 
water.  The  eggs  from  this  fish  were  not  perceptibly 
larger  than  the  others  examined.  In  several  cases  eggs 
were  ejected  by  slight  pressure  along  the  belly  of  the 
fish.  I  also  saw  a  male  eject  milt  while  in  the  act  of 
leaping  while  on  the  hook,  and  heard  of  another  case 
where  this  was  observed  by  a  fellow  angler.  The  evi- 
dence seemed  to  point  to  the  conclusion  that  some  of 
these  fish  were  ready  to  spawn.  I  experimented  to 
see  if  the  eggs  would  float  in  sea  water  but  they  in- 
variably sank  to  the  bottom.  The  small  fry  greedily 
devoured  them. 

I  arranged  with  my  guide,  Mr.  Mack  Mickle  of  Boca 
Grande,  to  examine  fish  after  I  left.  He  took  ten  or 
fifteen  samples  of  eggs  from  June  22nd  to  about  Au- 
gust 5th,  1920.  He  also  found  several  spent  females 
and  sent  me  samples  of  the  eggs  he  took.  The  last 
eggs  taken  show  no  noticeable  increase  in  size  over 
those  taken  a  month  earlier.  Mr.  Nichols  kindly 
measured  these  eggs.  They  ran  from  0.6  to  0.75  mm. 
in  diameter.  As  I  am  quite  sure  that  some  of  these 
specimens  were  taken  from  spent  fish  I  am  reasonably 
certain  they  were  fully  developed.  It,  therefore,  seems 
to  be  fairly  well  established  that  the  eggs  of  the  tarpon 
are  exceedingly  small  and  remarkably  numerous. 


30  THETARPON 


Mr.  Nichols  in  a  recent  letter  says: 

u  Anadromous  fishes  as  a  rule,  have  large  and 
few  eggs  as  compared  to  fishes  spawning  in  the 
sea.  Trout  and  salmon  eggs  are  large  and  few. 
The  eggs  of  the  sea  herring  are  much  smaller  than 
those  of  the  related  shad,  and  about  equally 
numerous,  though  the  shad  is  a  larger  fish.  The 
rule  is  not  absolute,  for  the  ale  wife  (anadromous) 
has  eggs  somewhat  more  numerous  and  only  some- 
what larger  than  the  sea  herring.  But  the  eggs 
being  exceedingly  small  and  exceedingly  numerous, 
the  probability  is  that  the  tarpon  spawns  in  the 
sea.  If  your  results,  that  the  tarpon  egg  is  heavy, 
not  buoyant,  are  correct,  and  I  see  no  reason  why 
they  should  not  be,  it  would  naturally  follow  that 
the  fish  spawn  in  shore  waters  or  on  banks,  not  in 
the  deep  sea." 

After  personal  conference  with  Mr.  Nichols  it  seems 
to  me  the  following  deductions  may  be  safely  drawn: 

(1)  As  the  mature  eggs  of  this  fish  are  very  small 
and  exceedingly  numerous  the  tarpon  is  proba- 
bly a  salt  water  spawner. 

(2)  As  the  eggs  sink  in  sea  water  the  fish  probably 
spawn  somewhere  off  shore  in  shallow  water. 

(3)  The  indications  are  that  the  time  of  spawning 
on  the  West  Coast  of  Florida  is  from  late  June 
to  August. 

(4)  That  the  tarpon  spawns  over  a  large  area  for 
the  small  fish  so  widely  reported  are  evidently 
very  young. 


THETARPON  31 


These  deductions  are  partially  borne  out  by  the 
observations  of  Captain  W.  V.  Heusted  of  Fort  Myers, 
a  very  intelligent  and  experienced  fisherman,  who  on 
March  29,  1920,  wrote  me  as  follows: 

"I  have  seen  the  tarpon  spawning  in  Charlotte 
Harbor  along  the  Cape  Haze  shore  from  the  Cape 
up  to  the  Miakka  Kiver.  They  are  always  in  pairs 
along  in  July  and  August,  in  white  sand  holes 
along  the  shoals.  My  brother  and  I  have  watched 
them  three  different  seasons  and  we  have  also 
killed  them  to  see  the  roe  and  have  watched  them 
deposit  the  spawn." 

Captain  Heusted,  whom  I  saw  later,  impressed  me 
as  a  reliable  observer. 

I  visited  the  locality  he  refers  to  about  the  middle 
of  June,  1920.  The  water  is  somewhat  brackish.  The 
bottom  is  covered  with  marine  vegetation  with  here 
and  there  sand  pits  or  holes  of  various  areas.  The 
water  as  a  rule  is  from  five  to  seven  feet  deep.  I  regret 
I  could  not  verify  Captain  Heusted 's  observations.  My 
guide  visited  the  locality  several  times  in  July  and, 
although  he  reported  he  saw  hundreds  of  fish  rolling 
over  this  spot,  he  could  not  observe  any  fish  in  the  act 
of  spawning. 

A  word  as  to  the  leaping  powers  of  this  fish.  The 
tarpon  is  a  most  prodigious  and  consistent  jumper.  It 
throws  itself  into  the  air  by  the  aid  of  its  caudal  fin 
assisted  by  a  powerful  sweep  of  its  lithe  and  muscular 
body.  Its  clean  and  athletic  form  is  well  adapted  for 
high  jumping.  Cool  observers  have  estimated  the  leaps 
at  from  twelve  to  fifteen  or  even  eighteen  feet  verti- 


32  THETARPON 


cally  and  thirty  feet  horizontally.  I  have  observed  a 
fish  make  a  horizontal  leap  of  about  twenty-two  feet. 
Sometimes  a  fish  will  go  into  the  air  ten  or  twelve 
times,  dependent  upon  the  way  the  angler  plays  it  or 
the  depth  of  the  water,  but  so  many  successive  jumps 
are  rare.  When  a  strain  is  placed  on  the  fish  it 
frequently  will  leap  and  while  in  the  air  shake  itself 
violently  to  dislodge  the  hook.  It  falls  back  into  the 
water  just  as  it  happens,  and  whether  free  or  line 
bound  it  makes  no  particular  effort  to  make  a  clean 
dive.  Males  are  more  active  than  the  females  as  they 
are  usually  lighter  and  more  lithe.  The  tarpon  has 
been  known  to  jump  upon  a  man  sitting  in  a  chair  on 
the  deck  of  a  steamboat.  One  knocked  a  negro  guide 
out  of  a  boat  at  the  mouth  of  the  Brazos  River.  The 
man  was  stunned  and  drowned.  In  Galveston  Bay  a 
tarpon  leaped  and  broke  a  boatman's  neck.  At 
Avery's  Island,  La.,  a  man  fishing  in  a  skiff  was  hit 
and  died  from  his  injuries.  "Net  fishermen  dread  to 
see  him  in  their  nets  for  they  have  known  of  men  being 
injured  by  their  attempts  to  leap  out"  (Stearns). 
Many  people  have  suffered  injuries  from  its  wonderful 
leaps.  One  must  have  the  experience  of  welcoming  an 
active  and  vigorous  tarpon  into  a  small  boat  to  obtain 
a  just  appreciation  of  its  liveliness  and  strength.  A 
fairly  large  fish  will  scale  six  feet  in  length  and  if  it 
jumps  straight  out  of  the  water  so  that  its  tail  is  six 
feet  above  it,  its  snout  will  be  twelve  feet  in  the  air. 
Such  a  jump  will  be  frequently  observed.  But  to  say 
that  a  tarpon  can  leap  clear  of  the  water  for  twelve 
feet  is  another  matter.  A  clean  vertical  jump  of  ten  or 


THETARPON  33 


at  most  twelve  feet  would  seem  to  be  the  limit,  but  it  is 
destructive  to  one's  judgment  to  see  a  mass  of  molten 
silver  suddenly  shoot  from  an  azure  sea  with  a  great 
flurry  of  water  and  project  itself  into  the  air  to  a 
towering  height  close  by  the  boat.  One's  estimate  on 
such  a  performance  is  apt  to  be  distorted  and  untrust- 
worthy. 

The  tarpon  leaps  from  fear,  if  a  fish  can  be  said  to 
have  fear,  to  escape  an  enemy,  to  throw  off  remoras 
or  sucking  fish,  and  also  for  pure  enjoyment.  It  will 
habitually  come  to  the  surface  and  blow  and  roll,  as 
the  phrase  is,  without  attempting  a  leap.  When  in 
this  mood  it  is  usually  hard  to  induce  it  to  take  the 
bait.  It  leaps  to  avoid  the  shark — its  ancient  enemy 
since  the  Mesozoic.  It  steals  or  dashes  upon  schools 
of  mullet  and  other  small  fish,  usually  seizing  them  by 
the  tail  (Gill).  It  will  follow  these  schools  up  fresh 
water  rivers  and  along  shallow  places  near  shore.  Dr. 
Townsend  reports  that  the  captive  tarpon  in  the  N. 
Y.  Aquarium  took  the  fish  fed  them  "with  a  side  wise 
snap."  Its  hard  mouth  is  well  adapted  to  feed  on 
crabs  which  in  season  is  a  favorite  bait. 

The  indiscriminate  capture  of  its  principal  food,  the 
mullet,  by  net  fisherman  all  along  its  range  in  the  semi- 
tropic  seas,  will  surely  have  a  serious  effect  upon  its 
future  welfare  and  numbers.  Many  other  fish  love  to 
feed  upon  the  mullet  and  their  netting  during  the 
spawning  season  should  be  stopped  both  in  the  interest 
of  sport  and  also  to  conserve  the  rapidly  decreasing 
schools  of  mullet,  a  very  important  food  fish  for  the 
South. 


34  THETARPON 


The  large  ones  at  least  are  not  edible.    According  to 
Schomburgk  (1848),  they  are  considered  delicate  eat- 
ing in  the  Barbados.     Mr.  W.  H.  Barrall  writing  in 
1874  to  Forest  and  Stream  said  they  are  very  pala- 
table.   Dimock  cured  and  dried  the  meat  and  speaks 
very  enthusiastically  of  the  fishballs  his  guide  made 
out  of  it.     Several  years  ago  they  were  sold  in  the 
public  markets  at  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  but  the  people 
did  not  like  them  owing  to  the  toughness  of  the  flesh. 
They  are  eaten  in  the  West  Indies  and  are  sold  in  the 
Havana  fish  markets  under  the  name  of  Sabalo.    The 
Mexicans  eat  them  after  they  are  salted.    Dr.  Jordan 
is  authority  for  the  statement  that  people  who  relish 
raw  fish  meat  like  the  Hawaiians  and  Japanese,  prefer 
the  meat  of  the  Elopidae  to  a  more  close  fibered  and 
tender  fish.    The  vjery  small  fish  may  be  good ;  but  the 
old  ones  are  unpalatable.     The  Megalops  cyprinoides 
of  the  Indian  Ocean  is  kept  in  fresh  water  tanks  for 
consumption  by  the  natives  and  is  highly  relished. 
Mr.  T.  Saville  Kent  in  an  article  in  Badminton  Maga- 
zine for  1895  describing  the  so-called  Ox  Eye  herring 
around  Australia   says   it  is   there   considered  most 
excellent  eating. 

The  tarpon  probably  attains  a  weight  of  four  hun- 
dred pounds  and  a  length  of  over  eight  feet.  One  was 
captured  on  a  hand  line  which  was  eight  feet  three 
inches  in  length,  but  this  immense  fish  weighed  net 
209%  pounds.  It  is  reported  that  the  largest  tarpon 
ever  captured  weighed  383  pounds.  I  could  not  verify 
this  record.  The  following  schedule  will  show  the  rec- 
ords at  various  places : 


THETARPON  35 


N.  M.  George,  at  Bahia  Honda,  April  8,  1901; 

length,  7'  2";  girth,  46";  weight,  213. 
Edward  Vom  Hof e,  at  Captiva  Pass,  Fla.,  Apr. 

30, 1898 ;  length,  6'  II7' ;  girth,  45" ;  weight,  210. 
Dr.  Howe,  at  Tampico,  Mexico;  length,  6'  8"; 

weight,  223. 
C.  W.  McCawley,  at  Aransas  Pass;  length,  7' 

10";  girth,  46";  not  weighed. 
W.  A.  McLaren,  at  Panuco,  Mexico,  March  27, 

1911;  length,  V  8";  girth,  47";  weight,  232. 
W.  L.  Dawley,  at  Aransas  Pass,  1906;  length, 

7'  10%";  not  weighed. 
W.  G.  Oliver,  at  Coden,  Ala.;  length,  6'  11"; 

girth,  43";  weight,  215. 

The  McLaren  fish  is  the  World's  record;  and  I  think 
that  the  Oliver  fish  is  the  U.  S.  record.  The  light  tackle 
record  for  the  World  is  apparently  held  by  Mr.  L.  G. 
Murphy  of  Converse,  Indiana,  who  in  June,  1916, 
caught  a  tarpon  6'  9%"  long  at  Aransas  Pass,  Texas 
(Information  furnished  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Cotter  of  Aran- 
sas). The  woman's  record  is  held  by  Mrs.  W.  Ashby 
Jones,  who  in  1916  landed  a  fish  7'  5"  long,  43i/2"  in 
girth  and  weighing  210  pounds.  Mrs.  Jones  took  the 
Field  and  Stream  first  prize  for  that  year. 

There  have  been  some  great  catches  with  rod  and 
reel.  Mr.  O.  A.  Mygatt  of  New  York  City  took  22  at 
Boca  Grande  in  one  day,  and  on  June  9th,  1916,  at  the 
same  place,  Mr.  Benjamin  W.  Crowninshield  of  Boston 
took  25  large  tarpon  in  a  day  between  sunrise  and  sun- 
set, which  I  believe  is  the  World's  record.  Mr.  L.  G. 


36  THETARPON 


Murphy  of  Converse,  Indiana,  once  took  24,  at  Aran- 
sas  Pass,  Texas. 

Mr.  Joseph  W.  Stray  of  Brooklyn  caught  a  fish 
weighing  115  pounds  at  Captiva  Pass  in  1918,  on 
standard  light  tackle,  which  I  believe  is  the  record  for 
that  locality  on  this  class  of  tackle. 

The  first  prize  winner  in  the  Field  and  Stream  con- 
test for  1919  was  Mr.  F.  H.  Schauffler  of  New  York 
City,  whose  fish  was  7'  long  with  a  40"  girth.  The  1920 
prize  was  won  by  Mr.  W.  Ashby  Jones,  who  captured 
a  fish  7'  4"  long  with  a  girth  of  43".  It  was  caught  in 
the  Caloosahatchee  Biver,  Florida. 

Mr.  John  T.  Nichols  and  Mr.  Van  Campen  Heilner 
have  compiled  the  records  for  fish  of  various  species 
which  will  be  found  in  Field  and  Stream  for  July,  1920. 

This  compilation  is  my  authority  for  stating  that 
the  largest  tarpon  ever  caught  was  netted  by  fisher- 
men at  Hillsboro  River  Inlet,  Florida,  on  August  6th, 
1912.  Its  weight  was  estimated  at  350  pounds.  Its 
length  was  8'  2". 

Aside  from  the  angler  the  tarpon  has  no  enemy 
worth  considering  save  the  sharks  with  which  it  has 
occupied  the  same  waters  for  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  years.  This  indicates  that  it  is  very  difficult  for  a 
shark  to  kill  a  tarpon  in  normal  condition.  Every 
angler  of  experience  has  observed  a  shark  attack  a 
tarpon  while  it  is  struggling  against  the  angler's 
efforts  to  capture  it.  Even  if  the  tarpon  is  tired  and 
somewhat  logy  from  its  exertions  it  will  usually  out- 
run the  shark  if  given  a  free  line.  It,  therefore,  seems 


THETARPON  37 


clear  that  sharks  do  not  destroy  many  healthy  and 
vigorous  fish. 

In  October  and  November,  1916,  many  thousands  of 
dead  fish  of  all  kinds  were  cast  ashore  on  the  West 
Coast  of  Florida  between  Boca  Grande  and  Marco.  It 
was  estimated  by  Government  observers  that  these 
fish  would  have  been  sufficient  to  have  kept  the  entire 
State  of  Florida  supplied  for  a  year.  Among  them 
wore  many  tarpon.  The  Government  made  a  careful 
investigation  as  to  what  caused  this  mortality  and  the 
results  were  published  in  the  Bureau  of  Fisheries 
Document  No.  848  under  the  title  "  Mortality  of  Fishes 
on  the  West  Coast  of  Florida. "  Mr.  Harden  F. 
Taylor,  the  investigator,  was  unable  to  reach  any 
definite  conclusion.  Such  cat  as  trophies  are  not  un- 
usual. In  1894,  millions  of  tile  fish  were  killed  by  a 
sudden  change  in  the  temperature  and  the  dead  fish 
covered  an  area  of  about  7,500  square  miles  of  water. 
It  was  estimated  that  about  one  billion  fish  perished. 
A  slight  change  in  the  balance  of  nature  works  havoc 
among  fish  precisely  as  it  does  among  birds.  It  is, 
after  all,  catastrophic  changes  in  natural  conditions 
which  have  caused  the  destruction  of  many  species 
formerly  inhabiting  the  earth. 

For  some  time  past  I  have  been  endeavoring  to 
ascertain  the  age  of  the  mature  tarpon,  but  up  to  this 
time  the  results  have  been  negative. 

The  age  of  many  fish  like  the  herring,  cod,  hake  or 
salmon  can  be  determined,  at  least  approximately,  by 
an  inspection  of  the  scales.  If  a  scale  from  one  of 
these  fish  is  examined  it  will  be  found  to  be  made  up 


38  THETARPON 


of  numerous  concentric  rings,  the  distance  between 
which  varies  in  a  definite  manner.  The  Summer 
growth  is  represented  by  well  separated  rings,  while 
the  narrow  compressed  rings  indicate  the  Winter 
growth.  Each  band  of  Summer  and  Winter  growth, 
therefore,  represent  a  year  of  the  fish's  life  and  its 
age  can  be  determined  by  counting  the  number  of  Win- 
ter rings  on  the  scale. 

There  is  probably  a  checking  of  the  growth  during 
the  spawning  season  and  the  rings  may  also  indicate 
the  cessation  of  growth  due  to  that  condition. 

I  have  carefully  collected  the  scales  from  various 
tarpon  and  submitted  them  to  Ichthyologists  for  ex- 
amination. The  tarpon  is  a  warm  water  predacious 
fish,  living  in  the  midst  of  plenty.  It  does  not  hiber- 
nate and  may  grow  steadily  throughout  the  year. 
Apparently,  its  scales  show  no  Winter  or  Summer 
areas  similar  to  the  fishes  living  in  colder  waters.  If 
there  is  any  cessation  of  growth  during  the  spawning 
period  the  rings  do  not  appear  to  reflect  it.  In  any 
event  I  have  found  no  one  able  to  read  the  scales.  It 
is  not  necessary  to  weary  the  reader  with  a  recital  of 
the  investigations  which  have  been  made  to  determine 
the  age  of  the  fish  by  other  methods,  for  so  far  they 
have  led  to  nothing. 

Fish  of  the  same  species  differ  greatly  in  their  rate 
of  growth,  dependent  upon  the  nature  and  abundance 
of  the  food  they  eat  and  the  waters  they  inhabit.  Gill 
is  of  the  opinion  that  the  tarpon  first  spawns  in  the 
third  or  fourth  year.  After  an  examination  of  the 
rate  of  growth  of  many  different  fishes  I  can  perceive 


THETARPON  39 


no  reason  why  the  tarpon  should  not  mature  by  that 
time  although  it  probably  grows  till  its  death,  if  the 
conditions  are  favorable.  If  one  could  read  the  story 
of  its  growth  from  the  scales  the  problem  of  the  tar- 
pon's age  would  be  a  simple  one. 

When  the  tarpon  leaps  the  angler  may  observe  it 
dislodge  a  slender,  dark  fish  possibly  eight  or  ten 
inches  long.  This  is  the  interesting  remora  or  sucking 
fish  which  has  a  sucking  disc  upon  the  top  of  its  head 
by  which  it  adheres  to  its  host.  The  tarpon  probably 
leaps  even  when  free  of  the  hook  in  order  to  rid  itself  of 
this  parasite.  If  the  angler  will  look  sharp  when  his  fish 
is  being  released  he  may  see  a  small  remora  four  or 
five  inches  long  clinging  to  the  tarpon.  If  he  tries  to 
capture  the  remora  with  a  hand  net  it  will  disappear 
instantly,  but  when  the  tarpon  is  rolled  over  the 
remora  usually  will  be  found  clinging  to  the  other 
flank.  They  change  their  position  with  great  rapidity. 
Those  which  I  have  observed  range  from  4"  to  14"  in 
length.  They  use  the  host  as  a  conveyance.  A  large 
remora  supported  a  pail  of  water  weighing  24.25 
pounds  when  tested  in  the  New  York  Aquarium.  They 
are  used  by  the  natives  in  the  East  to  capture  fish  and 
turtles.  A  string  is  attached  to  the  remora 's  body 
near  the  tail  and  the  remora  permitted  to  swim  till  it 
follows  its  habit  and  attaches  itself  to  some  other  fish, 
which  is  then  pulled  in  and  captured.  These  remoras 
detach  themselves  when  the  tarpon  is  pulled  out  of 
the  water. 


40  THETARPON 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  HISTORY  OF  ITS  CAPTURE  BY  ROD  AND  REEL 

SAPTAIN  WILLIAM  DAMPIER,  the  English  buccaneer, 
has  written  of  his  exploits  as  a  sacker  of  towns 
and  ships  and  as  an  explorer.    He  had  as  keen 
an  eye  for  natural  history  as  he  had  for  prizes  and 
loot.    His  travels  read  like  a  romance.    In  the  course 
of  his  journeys  to  the  Bay  of  Campeche,  just  west  of 
Yucatan  (1675),  he  gave  a  description  of  the  tarpon 
which  is  one  of  the  first  recorded.    It  deserves  inclu- 
sion here.    He  is  describing  conditions  near  the  Bay: 
"A  little  to  the  East  of  the  River  is  a  Fish- 
Range  and  a  small  Indian  Hutt  or  two  within  the 
"Woods ;  where  the  Indian  Fishers  who  are  subject 
to  the  Spaniards  lye  in  the  Fishing-Seasons,  their 
Habitations  and  Families  being  further  up  in  the 
Country.     Here  are  Poles  to  hang  their  nets  on 
and  Barbacues  to  dry  their  fish.    When  they  go 
off  to  Sea  they  fish  with  Hook  and  Line  about  four 
or  five  Leagues  from  the  shore  for  Snappers  and 
Gropers  which  I  have  already  described  in  my 
Voyage  around  the  World. 

"  Since  the  Privateers  and  Logwood-ships  have 
sailed  this  way  these  Fisher-men  are  very  shy, 
having  been  often  snapped  by  them.  So  that  now 
when  they  are  out  at  Sea,  if  they  see  a  Sail  they 
presently  sink  their  Canoas  even  with  the  edge  of 
the  Water;  for  the  Canoas  when  they  are  full  of 
water  will  sink  no  lower  and  they  themselves  lye 
just  with  their  heads  above  Water  till  the  Ship 


THETARPON  41 


which  they  saw  is  passed  by  or  comes  nigh.  I  have 
seen  them  under  Sail  and  they  have  thus  vanished 
on  a  Sudden.  The  Fish  which  they  take  near  the 
Shore  with  their  Nets  are  Snooks,  Dog  fish  and 
sometimes  Tarpoms.  The  Tarpom  is  a  large  scaly 
Fish  shaped  much  like  a  Salmon  but  somewhat 
flatter.  'Tis  of  a  dull  Silver  Colour  with  Scales 
as  big  as  a  Half  Crown.  A  large  Tarpom  will 
weigh  25  or  50  Pound.  'Tis  good  sweet  whole- 
some Meat  and  the  Flesh  is  solid  and  firm.  In  its 
Belly  you  shall  find  two  large  Scolops  of  Fat 
weighing  two  or  three  Pound  each;  I  never  knew 
any  taken  with  Hook  and  Line ;  but  are  either  with 
Nets  or  by  striking  them  with  Harpoons  at  which 
the  Moskito-Men  are  very  expert.  The  Nets  for 
this  Purpose  are  made  with  strong  double  Twine 
the  meshes  five  or  six  inches  square.  For  if  they 
are  too  small  so  that  the  Fish  be  not  entangled 
therein  he  presently  draws  himself  a  little  back- 
ward and  then  springs  over  the  Net;  Yet  I  have 
seen  them  taken  in  a  Sain  made  with  small  Meshes 
in  this  manner.  After  we  had  enclosed  a  great 
number,  whilst  the  two  ends  of  the  net  were  draw- 
ing ashore  ten  or  twelve  naked  men  have  followed ; 
when  a  Fish  struck  against  the  net  the  next  Man 
to  it  grasped  both  Net  and  Fish  in  his  Arms  and 
held  all  fast  till  others  came  to  his  Assistance. 
Besides  these  we  had  three  Men  in  a  Canoa  in 
which  they  mov'd  Side-ways  after  the  Net;  and 
many  of  the  Fish  in  springing  over  the  Net  would 
fall  into  the  Canoa.  And  by  these  means  we 


42  THETARPON 


should  take  two  or  three  at  every  draught.  These 
Fish  are  found  plentifully  along  that  shore  from 
Cape  Catoch  to  Trist  especially  in  clear  Water 
near  sandy  Bays ;  but  no  where  in  muddy  or  rocky 
Ground.  They  are  also  about  Jamaica  and  all 
the  Coast  of  the  Main;  especially  near  Cartha- 
gena. ' ' 

Thousands  of  anglers  since  Dampier's  day  have  fell 
a  sudden  strike  and  been  amazed  to  see  a  huge  silvery 
fish  suddenly  break  water  and  go  bounding  away  with 
their  tackle,  while  they  gazed  upon  it  with  envious  eyes. 
But,  apparently,  its  capture  by  rod  and  reel  was  never 
considered  a  possibility.  It  was  taken  by  harpoon  or  on 
hand  lines  precisely  as  the  big  shark  is  now  captured. 
In  an  article  written  in  1876  on  the  Game  Fish  of 
Florida,  S.  C.  Clarke,  the  noted  fisherman,  said: 

"The  tarpum  I  have  not  seen.  It  also  is  rare 
and  is  described  to  belong  to  the  mackerel  family, 
growing  to  the  weight  of  80  to  100  pounds.  A 
surface  fish,  very  active  and  strong,  with  brilliant 
silvery  scales  the  size  of  a  dollar.  It  is  rarely 
taken  with  hook  and  line,  as  it  generally  carries 
away  the  tackle,  however  strong.  It  goes  in 
schools  and  leaps  from  the  water  when  struck, 
either  with  hook  or  spear.  The  only  successful  way 
of  killing  the  tarpum,  I  am  told,  is  to  strike  it  with 
a  harpoon,  to  which  is  attached,  by  a  strong  line, 
a  small  empty  cask;  the  fish  by  struggling  with 
this  buoy,  exhausts  itself  so  that  it  may  be  ap- 
proached in  a  boat  and  killed  with  a  lance." 
In  an  article  on  fishes  written  in  1884,  it  is  said: 


THETARPON  43 


"  Imagine  a  herring-shaped  fish,  five  or  six  feet 
long,  with  brilliant  silvery  scales  the  size  of  half 
a  dollar,  in  schools  of  a  dozen  or  twenty,  leaping 
from  the  blue  surface  of  a  summer  sea.  This  is 
all  that  the  angler  usually  sees  of  the  tarpon. 
Sometimes  one  of  these  glittering,  rushing  mon- 
sters takes  the  hook.  What  follows?  The  line 
runs  out  with  great  speed  till  it  has  all  left  the 
reel,  when  it  parts  at  its  weakest  point,  and  the 
fish  goes  off  leaping  seaward.  When  hooked  on 
a  haiidline  similar  results  follow.  No  man  is 
strong  enough  to  hold  a  large  tarpon  unless  he  is 
provided  with  a  drag  or  buoy  in  the  shape  of  an 
empty  keg  attached  to  the  line  which  may  retard 
or  even  stop  the  fish  after  a  while.  The  tarpon  is 
sometimes  taken  with  a  harpoon  or  seines." 
Just  before  anglers  began  to  take  these  fish  with  a 

rod  and   reel  that  celebrated  angler,  Dr.  James  A. 

Henshall,  the  authority  on  black  bass,  thus  described 

their  capture : 

"The  boat  being  poled  quietly  along  the  fringe 
of  mangrove  bushes  at  the  edge  of  the  channels, 
the  man  standing  in  the  bow  with  the  grains  ready, 
at  length  spies  a  great  tarpum  some  six  feet  long, 
like  a  giant  fish  of  burnished  silver,  poised  motion- 
less in  the  shade.  When  within  striking  distance, 
he  hurls  the  grains  by  its  long  handle  with  a  skill- 
ful and  dexterous  thrust  and  unerring  aim,  born 
of  long  experience,  which  strikes  home  with  an 
enormous  thud,  when  the  monster  tears  away  with 
a  tremendous  spurt,  leaps  clear  of  the  surface, 


44  THETARPON 


and,  falling  back,  makes  the  water  fairly  boil  and 
seethe  in  his  desperate  efforts  to  escape.  But  the 
barbed  grains  hold  fast,  and  the  long  stout  line  is 
as  tense  as  a  bowstring.  The  great  fish  tows  the 
boat  around  like  a  cockle-shell  until  his  fierce 
struggles  and  grand  leaps  begin  to  tell  on  him, 
and  at  length  he  is  towed  ashore  completely  ex- 
hausted. Sometimes  the  boat  is  capsized  or 
swamped  by  an  unusually  large  and  powerful 
fish." 

It  apparently  never  entered  Dr.  Henshall's  mind, 
cool  and  experienced  angler  that  he  was  and  is,  that 
it  would  be  feasible  to  attempt  the  capture  of  a  large 
tarpon  with  a  rod  and  reel.  The  methods  of  capture 
he  described  were  the  same  as  those  employed  when 
Captain  William  Dampier,  the  buccaneer,  tried  his 
hand  off  the  coast  of  Yucatan,  two  hundred  and  nine 
years  before. 

In  the  issue  of  the  Forest  and  Stream  for  April  9, 
1885,  the  following  item  from  a  local  correspondent 
appeared,  bearing  the  date  of  April  2,  1885: 

"A  Mr.  Wood  of  New  York  took  at  Puiita  Rassa 
last  week  a  tarpon  measuring  five  feet  eight  inches 
and  weighing  sixty-eight  pounds;  tackle  rod  and 
reel." 

In  the  issue  of  the  23d  of  that  month  Mr.  W.  H. 
Wood  stated  that  his  first  fish  was  caught  in  Tarpon 
Bay,  Fla.,  on  March  25,  1885.  It  was  5  feet  9  inches 
and  weighed  93  pounds.  It  was  taken  in  26%  minutes. 
He  caught  another  the  same  day  in  21%  minutes 
weighing  81  pounds,  which  was  5  feet  7  inches  long. 


THETARPON  45 


Mr.  John  Smith,  who  at  that  time  was  living  at  Fish- 
erman's Key  near  Punta  Gorda,  was  his  guide.  In  a 
recent  letter  now  in  the  author's  possession,  Mr.  Smith 
states  that  Mr.  Wood's  fish  was  the  first  one  caught 
by  rod  and  reel.  Mr.  Wood  caught  three  more  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Caloosahatchee  River  on  March  31, 
1885.  All  these  fish  were  taken  with  rod  and  reel  and 
for  some  time  it  was  believed  that  the  record  of  cap- 
turing the  first  good-sized  tarpon  by  rod  and  reel  was 
held  by  Mr.  Wood.  In  May,  1885,  Mr.  S.  0.  Clarke 
wrote  to  the  same  journal: 

4 'Mr.  Wood's  capture  is,  however,  not  the  first 
of  that  kind.  A  tarpon  was  killed  in  the  Indian 
River,  East  Florida,  with  rod  and  reel  by  S.  H. 
Jones  of  Philadelphia,  some  years  ago,  I  think 
about  1878.  This  specimen  measured  over  seven 
feet  in  length,  32%  inches  in  circumference  at  the 
dorsal  fin  and  weighed  174  pounds.  The  contest 
lasted  more  than  three  hours  and  was  carried  on 
from  a  boat  which  was  towed  some  distance  by 
the  fish.  I  heard  of  this  affair  in  Florida  the  year 
after  it  happened  and  got  the  dimensions  of  the 
fish  from  the  boatman  who  waited  on  Mr.  Jones, 
who  himself  gave  an  account  of  the  capture  to  an 
angling  friend  of  mine;  so  I  have  no  doubt  as  to 
the  correctness  of  the  story." 

As  Mr.  Wood's  exploit  was  widely  published  and  as 
Mr.  Clark's  communication  was  disregarded,  it  ap- 
parently was  generally  believed  that  the  record  for 
the  first  capture  should  go  to  Mr.  Wood. 


46  THETARPON 


The  news  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  the  London 
Observer  of  August  26,  1886,  had  this  to  say : 

"Here,  at  last,  there  is  a  rival  to  the  black  bass 
of  North  America,  to  the  Siluris  glanis  of  the 
Danube,  to  our  own  European  salmon,  and  pos- 
sibly even  to  the  sturgeon,  were  that  monster 
capable  of  taking  a  hook  and  holding  it  in  its  leech- 
like  sucker  of  a  mouth.  Sportsmen  may  go  to 
Florida  for  the  tarpon,  as  they  now  go  to  the 
Arctic  Zone  for  the  reindeer,  walrus  and  musk- 
ox.  " 

In  the  Forest  and  Stream  of  January  9,  1890,  Dr. 
Henshall,  in  the  course  of  an  article  descriptive  of 
Floridian  fishes  says: 

"The  tarpon  has  achieved  notoriety  as  a  game 
fish  within  the  past  five  or  six  years,  principally 
through  the  writings  of  Dr.  C.  J.  Kenworthy;  and 
Mr.  W.  H.  Wood  has  received  credit  generally  of 
killing  the  first  tarpoji  of  over  100  pounds  with 
rod  and  reel  in  March,  1885;  but  justice  compels 
me  to  state  that  the  first  event  of  this  kind  oc- 
curred in  the  winter  of  1880-81  when  Samuel  H. 
Jones  of  Philadelphia  killed  a  tarpon  of  170 
pounds  on  ordinary  heavy  striped  bass  tackle  in 
the  Fort  Pierce  channel  of  Indian  River  Inlet  on 
tLe  East  Coast  of  Florida.  I  was  in  this  locality 
the  winter  following  this  feat  and  learned  the  full 
particulars  of  this  extraordinary  performance 
from  Mr.  Thomas  Paine  (son  of  Judge  Paine  of 
Fort  Capron),  who  was  Mr.  Jones'  boatman  on 
the  occasion  referred  to.  Afterwards  I  received 


THETARPON  47 


a  full  account  of  it  from  a  son  of  Mr.  Jones,  who 
was  also  with  him  and  witnessed  the  capture  of 
this  immense  fish  with  striped  bass  rod  and  tackle 
and  trolling  spoon  for  bait.  Mr.  Jones  was  two 
hours  in  securing  the  fish.  Honor  to  whom  honor 
is  due.  Mr.  Wood  has  glory  enough  in  being  the 
champion  tarpon  slayer  of  1885,  and  he  has  an 
enviable  record.  He  was  the  first  to  make  known 
through  the  sporting  press  how  the  thing  could  be 
done." 

Dr.  Holder  in  another  of  his  articles  stated  that  Mr. 
Jones  took  the  first  tarpon  with  rod  and  line  and  that 
it  weighed  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds.  He 
says  it  took  over  two  hours  to  land  it  and  that  Mr. 
John  Weier  of  New  Smyrna  was  the  lucky  guide. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Gregg  in  his  "  Where,  When  and  How  to 
Catch  Fish  on  the  East  Coast  of  Florida, "  published 
in  1902,  gives  credit  to  Mr.  Jones  and  locates  the  cap- 
ture at  the  same  place.  But  he  says  the  capture  oc- 
curred in  the  winter  of  1884,  and  that  Captain  John 
Gardner  was  the  guide.  He  says  this  tarpon  was 
taken  on  a  large  Buel  spoon ;  that  its  length  was  7  feet 
4  inches,  and  that  it  weighed  172%  pounds.  It  will  be 
observed  that  these  accounts  differ  in  essential  par- 
ticulars and  the  subject  merits  further  investigation. 
It  may  well  be  that  some  native  fisherman  caught  a 
tarpon  on  rod  and  reel  long  before  either  of  these 
gentlemen. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Wood's  exploit  became  known 
anglers  turned  their  attention  to  the  tarpon  and  at- 
tempted its  capture  with  various  kinds  of  tackle.  Mr. 


48  THETARPON 


Wood  took  a  fish  on  May  6,  1886,  6  feet  5  inches  long 
and  weighing  140  pounds  on  a  15  thread  line  and  a 
No.  10  O'Shaugnessy  hook  rigged  onto  a  three-foot  link 
chain.  He  used  a  five-foot  bamboo  rod  and  a  Silver 
King  reel.  Dr.  Henshall  and  Mr.  A.  W.  Dimock  very 
early  took  tarpon  in  both  brackish  and  fresh  waters 
with  a  fly  on  a  heavy  fly  rod.  The  fish  so  taken 
weighed  from  ten  to  forty  pounds. 

All  the  sporting  periodicals  were  filled  with  accounts 
of  tarpon  being  caught  with  tackle  suited  to  the  in- 
dividual tastes  of  the  particular  angler.  Gradually, 
makers  of  tackle  evolved  reels,  rods  and  lines  suited 
to  the  battle.  Fishing  began  at  Texas  points  and, 
finally,  Tampico  became  noted  for  its  tarpon  fishing. 
Panama  is  now  coming  into  its  own.  In  all  probability 
the  best  place  to  fish  is  not  yet  known.  Central  Amer- 
ica may  prove  to  be  the  Mecca  for  the  lovers  of  this 
splendid  sport. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  recount  the  progress  made  by 
anglers  during  the  years  between  1884  and  the  pres- 
ent, save  to  say,  that  the  indiscriminate  slaughter  of 
the  fish  so  that  photographs  of  the  catch  may  be  ex- 
hibited is  rapidly  passing  away.  They  were  taken  on 
light  tackle  many  years  ago ;  but  up  to  the  present  time 
the  tackle  used  by  most  fishermen  has  not  given  the 
fish  a  fair  chance. 

This  chapter  cannot  be  closed  in  a  more  fitting  way 
than  by  quoting  from  Mr.  McLaren's  article  in  Field 
and  Stream  of  July,  1912,  describing  his  capture  of  the 
world's  record  tarpon. 


THETARPON 


"  FIRST  GRAND  PRIZE— TARPON. 
Awarded  to  W.  A.  McLaren,  Mexico  City. 

Weight— 232  pounds. 

Length — 7  feet,  8  inches. 

Girth — 47  inches. 

Where  Caught — Panuco  River,  Mexico. 

Rod— Vom  Hofe  7  foot. 

Reel — Vom  Hofe. 

Line — 27  thread  Linen. 

Lure — Small  Fish. 
THE  WORLD'S  RECORD  TARPON. 

How  the  Fish  was  Caught  and  Then  Nearly 
Deprived  of  Its  Laurels. 

By  W.  A.  MCLABEN. 

' '  March  27,  1911,  was  the  date  and  the  Panuco 
River,  Mexico,  was  the  place.  The  fish,  a  female, 
weighed  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  pounds,  and 
measured,  as  it  lay  dead,  from  tip  of  longest  tail 
fin  to  end  of  jaw  open,  seven  feet  and  eight  inches, 
with  a  girth  of  forty-seven  inches.  Tackle  used 
was  a  seven  foot  rod,  Vom  Hofe  reel,  two  hundred 
yards  of  Linen  line  and  regulation  hook  and 
leader. 

"At  Tampico,  the  favorite  fishing  grounds  are 
upstream  at  Caracol,  or  along  the  sedge  near  the 
Tamesi  Bridge,  or  in  the  bayou  called  Pubelo 
Viego.  Not  so  with  us.  It  may  have  been  love  of 
tidewater  or  an  unsportsmanlike  desire  to  catch 
something,  whether  or  not  the  tarpon  were  biting, 
or  an  unconscious  presentment  of  trouble — we 
had  always  preferred  to  go  downstream  from  the 


50  THETARPON 


town  landing,  and  invariably  our  longing  pointed 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Tuxpam  canal.  There,  at  ebb 
tide,  the  water  from  the  narrow  canal  forms  a 
pretty  rip  with  the  river's  mighty  current,  and 
indeed,  it  is  a  bit  of  ideal  fishing  ground.  Hardly 
can  one  fail  to  get  a  strike  if  the  line  is  properly 
trolled  through  the  ripples  and  eddies  only  a  few 
yards  in  extent.  The  water  constantly  dances  and 
flashes  and  small  fish  are  flying  and  leaping  away 
from  the  frequent  'chook*  of  the  big  jaws  that 
pursue.  Here  are  sharks,  jewfish,  yellow-tail  and 
here  was  the  record  tarpon. 

"On  the  morning  in  question,  we  made  no  pre- 
tence of  hiding  our  preference,  and,  having  the 
use  of  the  trim  little  launch,  Tal  Vez,  we  towed 
our  small  boat  straight  to  our  favorite  spot.  Alas, 
we  had  miscalculated  the  tide,  which  was  just  on 
the  flood.  We  waited  not,  however,  for  time  or 
tide,  but  cast  our  lines  and  soon  came  a  fierce 
strike,  stronger  even  than  the  kind  one  feels  when 
dreamily  thinking  about  tarpon  fishing.  Out  ran 
my  line,  the  fish  heading  up  the  canal,  and  my 
spasm  of  excitement  and  joy  soon  subsided  for  no 
tarpon  leaped  into  the  air.  My  boatman,  Apo- 
lonio,  expressed  my  disappointment:  "A  shark, 
senor,  it  is  a  shark;  have  a  care  for  your  line!" 
I  had  a  vision  of  broken  tackle,  even  of  loss  of  rod 
and  reel,  and  all  the  time  I  was  fighting  against 
the  mammoth  tugs  and  runs,  in  grim  determina- 
tion to  die  hard,  yet  without  hope  of  victory.  Up 
the  canal  we  were  carried,  hauling,  heaving,  pump- 


THETARPON  51 


ing,  rowing  and  backing,  the  fish  always  playing 
us.  Presently,  for  sport's  sake,  we  were  per- 
mitted to  reel  in  a  while,  and  then  a  huge  head,  a 
tarpon  head,  emerged  from  the  water,  as  if  to  say 
4 1  show  you  your  mistake;  I  am  not  a  shark/ 

"Instantly,  my  craving  to  escape  became  a  mad 
passion  to  capture.    Placing  the  rod's  butt  under 
the  cushion  on  my  boat  seat,  I  grasped  it  well 
forward  and  pumped,  throwing  my  whole  body 
weight  onto  the  leverage;  pumped  myself  breath- 
less, straining  arms  and  back  to  the  utmost.    And 
every  now  and  then  the  fish  would  make  a  far 
reach  up  or  down  the  canal,  just  to  put  my  efforts 
to  ridicule.    Once  it  leaped,  not  a  fair,  free  jump, 
but  a  lunge  sideways,  half  out  of  water.     The 
boatman  was  again  the  spokesman:    'Es  grande, 
grande!'  he  exclaimed.     I  was  getting  past  the 
period  of  calculation.     I  saw  men  on  the  shore 
watching  us  with  interest ;  I  saw  the  two  oil  tanks 
that  stand  on  either  bank,  yet  I  realized  nothing 
but  the  tense  struggle  for  supremacy  between  one 
end  of  my  line  over  the  other.     The  fight  lasted 
over  an  hour  and  seemed  interminable.    At  length 
there  was  evidence  of  weakening  on  my  adver- 
sary's part,  and  I  finally  was  able  to  get  the  fish 
up   to   the   double   line   and   lift  its   head  to   the 
water's  surface.     Then  the  fish  gradually  lost  its 
aggressiveness  and  became  a  dead  weight.     We 
turned  to  the  river  so  as  to  land  on  the  sandy 
beach  around  the  point.    One  last  run  it  made  as 
we  struck  the  river,  then  gave  up  the  struggle. 


52  THETARPON 


We  beached  the  boat  and  the  fish.  Our  only  im- 
plement of  measurement  was  an  oar,  said  to  be 
eight  feet  long,  which  proved  to  be  somewhat 
longer  than  my  catch.  Some  bystanders  said  it 
was  the  largest  tarpon  of  the  season.  Though 
glowing  with  my  victory,  I — ignorant  of  figures 
as  to  any  record — did  not  have  a  thought  that  the 
fish  was  exceptional.  So  I  ordered  the  fish  turned 
back  into  the  river  and  only  when  I  saw  that  it 
was  bleeding  from  a  cut  in  the  gills  which  would 
mean  death  by  the  sharks,  did  I  resolve  to  keep  it. 
The  body  was  carried  to  the  Southern  Hotel  and 
exhibited  to  the  fishing  throng.  Soon  the  word 
went  forth  that  the  Tampico  record  was  beaten, 
and  I  was  the  most  surprised  fisherman  of  all 
when  Mr.  Wilson,  British  Consul,  and  holder  of 
the  former  Tampico  record,  courteously,  but  em- 
phatically, insisted  that  my  fish  had  won  over  his. 
It  remained  for  Field  and  Stream  to  inform  me 
that  the  fish  had  taken  the  world's  record,  so  now 
the  records  of  Tampico  and  of  the  world  are  one, 
tarponwise,  and  the  fish  hangs  at  Tampico,  its 
own  witness. 

"Besides  the  prizes  from  Field  and  Stream,  I 
was  presented  with  a  magnificent  Leonard  No. 
6%  Tarpon  rod,  by  Mr.  N.  M.  George,  of  Danbury, 
Conn.,  for  my  good  fortune  in  exceeding  his  tarpon 
record.  This  generosity  and  good  sportsmanship 
of  Mr.  George  is  greatly  appreciated  by  me,  and 
I  am  as  proud  of  the  rod  as  I  am  of  the  record 
cup." 


THETARPON  63 


CHAPTER  III 
TACKLE   AND   EQUIPMENT 

N  view  of  the  fact  that  the  angler  may  buy  high- 
class  tackle  from  many  different  manufacturers, 
especially  adapted  to  the  capture  of  the  tarpon, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  enter  into  a  technical  description 
of  the  rods,  reels,  lines  and  other  equipment  required 
in  this  fishing.  Only  a  few  general  suggestions  seem 
to  be  called  for.  All  tackle  should  be  subjected  to  a 
moderate  test  before  it  is  used.  This  rule  applies  to 
all  fishing.  The  angler  will  find  it  more  satisfactory 
to  provide  himself  with  the  necessary  tackle  before  he 
starts  on  the  trip. 

Rods — The  rules  of  the  Tuna  Club  will  be  found  in 
the  appendix  to  which  the  reader  is  referred.  It  will 
be  observed  that  three  types  of  rod  are  there  recog- 
nized. The  following  specifications  govern  the  stand- 
ard rod  for  heavty  tackle.  It  is  the  heaviest  that  may 
be  used  to  establish  a  record  for  the  capture  of  the 
Tuna : 

"Rod  to  be  of  wood  consisting  of  butt  and  tip, 
and  to  be  not  shorter  than  six  feet  nine  inches  over 
all.  Tip  to  be  not  less  than  five  feet  in  length, 
and  to  weigh  not  more  than  sixteen  ounces.  *  *  * 
By  tip  is  meant  that  portion  of  rod  from  outer 
end  thereof  to  point  where  same  is  assembled  at 
butt  with  tip  fully  seated. '  ' 

It  is  permissible  to  use  any  size  line  up  to  24  thread 
with  such  a  rod.  This  tackle  is  amply  heavy  to  cap- 
ture any  tarpon  that  swims  and  is  recommended  for 


54  THETARPON 


beginners.  The  rod  should  be  built  preferably  of  bam- 
boo, although  bethabara,  dagama,  hickory,  noibwood, 
greenhart  or  lancewood  are  used  and  are  cheaper. 
No  tarpon  caught  on  heavier  tackle  should  be  deemed 
eligible  for  record.  Tarpon  rods  of  the  heavier  grade 
usually  have  double  guides  placed  opposite  to  each 
other.  The  heavy  sinker  and  the  resistance  of  the 
fish  at  the  end  of  a  long  line  will  surely  give  any  rod 
a  pronounced  "set"  and  the  double  guides  enable  the 
angler  to  turn  the  tip  over  and  thereby  to  straighten 
it  during  the  fishing.  But  the  line  is  apt  to  be  caught 
in  the  empty  guides  of  a  rod  so  constructed  and  many 
anglers  prefer  a  single  line  of  guides.  A  rod  can  be 
easily  straightened  by  suspending  it  with  a  weight 
attached  to  the  lower  end.  The  reel  should  be  lashed 
to  the  rod  notwihstanding  any  patent  attachment  de- 
vice the  rod  may  have.  Adhesive  tape  or  fish  line  is 
easily  applied  as  a  lashing.  This  applies  to  a  rod  of 
any  weight. 

In  the  light  tackle  class  of  the  Tuna  Club  the  rod 
specifications  are  as  follows: 

"Rod  to  be  of  wood  consisting  of  butt  and  tip 
and  to  be  not  shorter  than  six  feet  over  all.  Butt 
not  to  exceed  14  inches  in  length.  Tip  to  be  not 
less  than  five  feet  in  length,  and  to  weigh  not  more 
than  six  ounces." 

The  line  used  with  this  rod  is  standard  nine  thread. 
At  the  Aransas  Pass  Tarpon  Club  it  is  permissible  to 
use  a  butt  eighteen  inches  in  length. 

Mr.  L.  P.  Streeter  of  the  Tuna  Club  first  caught  a 
tarpon  (5  feet  9  inches  in  length)  on  this  tackle  at 


THETARPON  55 


Aransas  Pass  on  June  25,  1907,  and  on  that  evening 
he  organized  the  Aransas  Pass  Tarpon  Club,  which 
adopted  the  rule  that  to  qualify  members  must  catch 
a  tarpon  not  less  than  4  feet  6  inches  in  length  on  a 
rod  of  this  character  and  on  a  nine  thread  line.  Since 
that  time  thousands  of  fish  have  been  so  caught  and 
this  tackle  is  sufficient  to  capture  any  tarpon  in  the 
hands  of  a  cool  and  experienced  angler  if  luck  favors 
him. 

There  is  another  and  lighter  rod  recognized  by  the 
Tuna  Club,  which  is  the  one  used  in  the  Three- Six 
Class,  viz: 

"Rod  to  be  of  wood  consisting  of  a  butt  and  tip 
and  to  be  not  shorter  than  six  feet  over  all.  Weight 
of  entire  rod  not  to  exceed  six  ounces. 
The  line  used  with  this  rod  is  standard  six  thread. 
The  six  ounce  six  foot  rod,  and  the  six  thread  line 
gives  this  class  the  name  Three-Six.  The  rod  for  this 
class  should  be  constructed  of  bamboo — usually  of  six 
strips.  The  tip  is  about  61%  inches  over  all  and  the 
butt  12  inches  over  all,  making  the  rod  when  the  tip  is 
seated  exactly  six  feet  in  length.  It  should  have  five  or 
six  guides  and  an  agate  tip  and  be  wrapped  with  silk 
at  close  intervals.  As  has  been  stated,  any  one  of  a 
dozen  different  manufacturers  put  up  rods  of  all  sizes 
and  kinds  which  answer  every  purpose.  The  beginner 
should  use  the  larger  size  and  the  24  thread  line  at 
the  outset  until  he  has  confidence  in  himself  and  be- 
comes accustomed  to  the  maneuvers  of  the  fish.  Many 
anglers  desire  to  repair  or  construct  their  own  rods. 
The  reader  is  referred  to  Frazer's  "The  Anglers 


56  THETARPON 


Workshop "  (Forest  and  Stream  Pub.  Co.  N.  Y.)  for 
an  interesting  and  practical  text  book.  The  author 
there  gives  specifications  for  a  home  made  tarpon  rod 
and  describes  clearly  how  to  varnish  and  wind  them. 

The  angler  should  carry  two  rods  for  accidents  fre- 
quently happen,  usually  to  the  tips,  and  rods  may  fail 
under  the  best  of  care.  It  is  well  to  purchase  extra 
tips  (shaped  in  the  rough)  fitting  the  butt  joint  and 
to  finish  mount,  wrap  and  varnish  them  during  the 
winter.  The  invisible  knot  is  easily  learned  and 
Frazer  clearly  describes  precisely  how  to  perform 
every  stage  of  the  process.  The  so-called  Sarasota 
bamboo  rods  are  serviceable  and  cheap.  They  are 
made  out  of  one  piece  of  raw  bamboo,  carefully  wound, 
shellaced  and  varnished.  They  are  light,  resilient  and 
durable. 

Reels — This  part  of  the  angler  *s  equipment  plays 
the  most  important  part  in  the  capture  of  the  fish.  The 
reel  made  by  Edward  Vom  Hofe  and  catalogued  as  the 
"Universal  Star"  is  the  one  most  generally  used  by 
tarpon  anglers.  The  one  used  with  24  thread  line 
should  hold  comfortably  600  feet  of  line  when  wet, 
bearing  in  mind  that  laid  lines  swell  in  the  wetting. 
It  is  built  like  a  watch  and  costs  nearly  as  much  as  the 
remainder  of  the  tackle,  or  about  $70.00  at  the  present 
time  (1921).  It  has  a  light  drag  upon  the  left  side,  and 
an  adjustable  drag  upon  the  other.  It  is  so  constructed 
that  the  handle  does  not  revolve  backward  when  line  i# 
being  taken  by  the  fish,  thus  avoiding  injury  to  the  hand 
from  the  action  of  the  handle.  Its  use  enables  almost 
anyone  to  capture  a  large  fish  if  its  mechanism  is  un- 


THETARPON  57 


derstood  and  it  is  manipulated  skillfully.  The  Pflueger 
Avalon  reel  is  an  excellent  one  and  there  are  several 
others  well  adapted  to  this  fishing.  Lighter  reels  are 
used  with  smaller  lines.  Any  large  well-made  salt 
water  or  fresh  water  reel  may  be  converted  into  a 
fairly  suitable  one  for  this  fishing  by  the  application 
of  one  of  the  patent  drag  handles  now  on  the  market 
like  the  Williams  or  the  Rabbeth.  All  reels  should  be 
fitted  with  a  thumb  pad,  which  in  the  hands  of  a  skillful 
angler,  answers  the  purpose  of  a  drag,  if  the  angler 
has  a  muscular  thumb.  A  reel  should  be  sent  to  its 
maker  and  overhauled  every  year.  It  must  be  well 
oiled  during  the  fishing  so  it  will  not  "freeze." 

Butt  Rests — Heavy  fish  are  usually  played  with  the 
butt  of  the  rod  inserted  in  a  leather  butt  rest  secured 
to  the  upper  side  of  the  angler's  pivoting  chair  seat. 
With  light  tackle  the  angler  may  find  it  convenient  to 
wear  a  leather  butt  rest  strapped  around  the  waist. 
This  is  carried  by  all  the  outfitters.  It  is  also  well 
to  equip  the  butt  of  the  rod  with  a  rubber  pad  having 
a  flat  rim.  This  acts  as  a  fulcrum  when  the  rod  is 
pressed  against  the  body. 

Lines — Linen  lines  are  either  laid  (twisted)  or 
braided.  The  former  is  the  stronger,  but  it  kinks 
easier  than  the  braided  line.  A  silk  line  does  not  stand 
salt  water  well,  as  it  rots;  but  it  is  stronger  than  the 
linen  line.  The  first-class  linen  tarpon  line  is  guaran- 
teed by  dealers  to  be  twisted  out  of  from  six  to  thirty- 
six  threads  or  strands  of  yarn  having  a  tensile  strength 
of  two  pounds  per  strand.  It  should  be  made  from  the 


58  THETARPON 


grade  of  linen  yarn  known  amongst  the  trade  as  No. 
50.  (See  Tuna  Club  Rules.)  ) 

Under  the  Tackle  Specifications  of  the  Tuna  Club 
the  24  thread  line  shall  have  a  maximum  breaking 
strain  of  not  to  exceed  65  pounds ;  the  9  thread  line  a 
breaking  strain  of  not  to  exceed  25  pounds ;  and  the  6 
thread  line  to  have  a  like  strain  of  not  to  exceed  16 
pounds;  and  lines  must  be  tested  either  before  using 
or  after  the  fish  is  weighed  in. 

The  laid  line  referred  to  gets  its  number  from  the 
number  of  threads  or  strands  it  contains. 

The  following  schedule  explains  itself : 

No.  Adapted  For  Length  Recommended 

6     Regulation  3-6  tackle 900  feet 

9     Regulation  light  tackle 900  feet 

18-24    General  fishing  for  tarpon. . .         600  feet 
27-30     Tarpon  trolling  and  fishing  in  cramped 
quarters ;  or  where  sharks  are  very  bother- 
some and  the  fish  must  be  captured  as  soon 
as  possible.  Their  use  is  not  recommended. 
Four  hundred  feet  is  amply  long. 
Before  use,  a  new  line  should  be  thoroughly  wetted 
in  fresh  water,  stretched  and  dried  in  the  shade.   This 
sets  the  lay  of  the  line,  prevents  kinking  and  evens  its 
strength.    Holder  says  that  no  one  was  able  to  capture 
a  tuna  till  both  the  reel  pad  and  the  line  were  wetted 
just  before  beginning  fishing,  which  prevents  the  burn- 
ing of  the  line,  on  long  runs  of  the  fish,  through  the 
friction  of  the  pad  on  the  line.    A  wet  is  stronger  than 
a  dry  line,  so  soak  the  line  before  fishing  is  started. 
Anglers  should  buy  the  best  lines  the  dealers  carry. 


THETARPON  59 


The  best  is  none  too  good.  In  steady  fishing  it  should 
be  reversed  on  the  reel  and  examined  carefully  for 
flaws.  The  line  is  the  most  vulnerable  part  of  the 
tackle. 

I  wrote  to  several  manufacturers  of  linen  lines  to 
ascertain  how  to  care  for  a  line  after  its  use  in  salt 
water.  In  the  opinion  of  one  the  line  should  be  rinsed 
in  fresh  water  each  day  after  use  and  then  dried  in  a 
large  coil  around  some  article  where  metal  will  not 
come  in  contact  with  it.  Another  suggested  a  more 
elaborate  plan.  He  advised  that  the  line  be  taken  off 
the  reel  and  rinsed  in  fresh  water.  An  extra  twist 
should  then  be  put  into  it  by  rolling  it  between  the 
hands  whilst  the  line  is  wet.  It  should  then  be  dried 
out  and  stretched.  The  line  should  not  be  kept  in  too 
dry  a  place  and  before  it  is  again  used  it  should  be 
wetted.  He  concludes  by  saying: 

"The  idea  of  putting  an  extra  twist  into  the 
line  while  it  is  wet  is  to  get  kink  into  the  fiber,  for 
then  if  it  is  kept  from  drying  out  too  much  before 
using  it  will  stay  in  fairly  good  condition.     Care 
must  be  taken  not  to  leave  any  moisture  in  the  line 
as  it  mildews  and  this  rots  the  line  very  fast." 
The  third  manufacturer  made  no  suggestion  worth 
quoting,  except  to  urge  the  use  of  a  swivel  so  as  to 
preserve  the  normal  twist  in  the  line. 

Mr.  F.  Gray  Griswold  is  an  angler  of  great  experi- 
ence and  ripe  judgment.  He  writes  me  that  a  line 
should  never  be  dried  in  sun  or  wind  for  this  induces 
rot.  He  never  dries  his  salt  water  lines  during  a  trip, 
but  simply  runs  them  off  the  reel  after  the  day's  fish- 


60  THETARPON 


ing  and  reels  them  back  again.  He  waits  till  he  has 
finished  fishing  before  rinsing  and  drying  his  lines, 
and  he  says  they  never  break.  At  the  Tuna  Club  the 
wet  line  is  reeled  off  upon  a  wooden  spool  after  the 
day's  fishing  and  re-reeled  the  next  day. 

The  "Swastika"  brand  natural  color  line,  made  by 
the  Ashaway  Line  and  Twine  Co.  of  Ashaway,  R.  L, 
apparently  is  the  line  most  favored  by  Tuna  Club  mem- 
bers. I  have  found  it  an  excellent  line  for  tarpon. 

I  wish  to  add  one  suggestion.  The  line  must  be  kept 
away  from  all  rusted  metal.  It  is  the  habit  of  some 
anglers  to  secure  the  hook  in  the  reel  in  such  a  way 
that  the  hook  or  the  rusty  leader  can  come  in  contact 
with  the  line  when  the  rod  is  laid  aside.  This  should 
never  be  done,  for  if  the  rusty  hook  or  leader  is  allowed 
to  touch  the  line  the  rust  will  corrode  and  destroy  it. 
Many  good  lines  unexpectedly  fail  for  this  reason. 

From  careful  tests  which  I  have  made  it  is  evident 
that  an  ordinary  overhand  knot  tied  in  a  line  will 
weaken  it  to  the  extent  of  from  20  to  40%.  So  beware 
of  knots! 

A  good  plan  to  follow  in  all  sea  fishing  is  to  rig  the 
line  on  the  rod  to  be  used  and  experiment  on  lifting  a 
dead  weight  from  the  floor.  It  will  interest  one  to 
perceive  how  little  can  be  lifted  within  the  capacity 
of  the  rod.  The  rod  will  bend  to  a  dangerous  degree  in 
lifting  fifteen  pounds  although  the  24-thread  line  used 
with  it  will  have  a  tensile  strength  of  forty-eight 
pounds  or  more.  The  line  may  be  doubled  back  from 
the  leader  for  a  distance  equal  to  the  length  of  the 
leader.  It  is  good  practice  to  take  from  home  at  least 


THETARPON  61 


two  new  lines  for  accident  may  befall  one  at  any  time. 
Nine  and  six  thread  lines  should  be  purchased  at 
home  for  the  local  dealers  may  not  carry  them.  Indeed, 
it  is  wise  to  procure  all  tackle  from  reliable  dealers 
prior  to  the  trip. 

Leaders — In  still  fishing  many  anglers  employ  a 
rawhide  or  moosehide  snood  or  a  heavy  braided  line, 
or  a  cod  line  as  a  leader.  Sharks  are  usually  abundant 
in  this  mode  of  fishing  and  as  they  can  bite  through 
such  a  leader,  neither  time  nor  line  are  lost  before 
they  regain  their  freedom.  Then,  too,  most  guides 
believe  that  a  tarpon  will  reject  the  bait,  on  attempting 
to  gorge  it,  when  it  feels  the  metallic  leader.  The 
piano  wire  leader  is  generally  used  in  other  methods 
of  fishing.  It  consists  of  a  single  strand  of  piano  string 
wire  straightened  and  tinned.  The  rules  of  the  Tuna 
Club  provide : 

"Leaders  must  not  be  longer  than  six  feet  ex- 
cept for  Tuna,  Swordfish  or  Marlin  Swordfish,  in 
which  case  leaders  must  not  exceed  15  feet  in 
length  and  may  be  of  such  material  as  the  angler 
may  desire." 

Six  or  eight  feet  of  single  piano  string  wire  made  up 
in  two  equal  sections  connected  by  a  swivel  with  a 
swivel  at  the  line  end  would  seem  to  be  appropriate  for 
tarpon  fishing.  The  swivels  serve  to  prevent  the  leader 
from  kinking.  The  tackle  makers  claim  to  treat  the 
wire  with  a  rust  proof  process  which  lengthens  its  life, 
but  one  generally  loses  leaders  long  before  rust  can 
affect  their  strength. 


62  THETARPON 


As  it  is  impossible  to  lift  twenty  pounds  with  any 
rod  likely  to  be  employed  it  will  be  found  if  one  cares 
to  make  a  test,  that  such  a  leader  will  sustain  many 
times  the  maximum  weight  it  will  ever  be  subjected  to. 
A  cod  line  will  serve  as  a  leader. 

Sinkers — The  weight  and  style  of  the  sinker  depend 
upon  the  waters  where  the  fishing  is  done.  They  are 
usually  of  the  "bank"  type  weighing  from  four  to 
eight  ounces.  One  may  safely  rely  upon  the  guide  for 
instructions  on  this  point  and  upon  the  local  market  to 
produce  the  kind  to  be  used.  In  using  light  tackle,  light 
sinkers  should  be  tied  on  with  very  easily  broken  twine 
so  that  they  will  be  snapped  off  when  the  fish  is  struck 
or  when  it  first  jumps. 

Hooks — We  now  approach  the  controversial  subject 
of  hooks.  The  hooks  of  reputable  dealers  are  strong 
enough  to  withstand  far  more  severe  strains  than  the 
tackle  to  which  they  are  attached.  It  is  the  style  and 
size  which  occasion  the  controversies.  Most  anglers 
prefer  Nos.  8  or  10  hooks  for  general  fishing  and  the 
Van  Vleck,  Vom  Hofe,  Mills,  Pflueger,  Abbey  and  Im- 
brie,  and  many  other  tarpon  hooks  all  have  their  ad- 
herents. The  O'Shaugnessy  type  hooks  from  Nos.  6  to 
10  are  favorites.  Usually  tarpon  hooks  are  mounted  on 
a  link  chain  about  four  or  five  inches  long  so  as  to  give 
the  hook  free  play  on  the  leader.  The  point  should  be 
kept  very  sharp  by  filing,  for  the  mouth  of  the  fish  is 
hard  and  difficult  to  penetrate.  The  same  hooks  should 
be  used  on  light  as  on  standard  tackle. 

Swivels — Common  barrel  swivels  are  usually  em- 
ployed on  heavy  tackle  and  the  eyes  should  be  well 


THETARPON  63 


made  so  they  revolve  freely  and  function  properly. 
For  use  with  nine  and  six-thread  line  Catalina  swivels 
may  be  used  for  a  knot  seriously  weakens  a  line. 

Your  guide  will  make  a  leather  "swivel"  so  as  to 
attach  the  reel  line  by  a  hitch  and  there  are  other  ex- 
pedients to  avoid  the  fatal  knot. 

Gaff — There  is  no  restriction  on  the  size  of  this 
essential  part  of  the  equipment  and  the  guide  will  fur- 
nish it.  It  should  be  heavy  and  mounted  on  a  long 
handle  so  as  to  make  its  use  effective.  The  guide  will 
provide  himself  with  a  landing  gaff,  which  is  a  barbless 
hook  on  a  stout  line,  which  he  attaches  to  his  wrist. 
This  gaff  or  hook  is  inserted  in  the  mouth  of  the  tarpon 
and  the  line  hook  is  released.  He  then  withdraws  the 
barbless  gaff  and  the  fish  swims  away  unhurt,  to  be 
caught  again  some  other  day.  Never  gaff  a  tarpon 
which  you  do  not  intend  to  mount  as  a  specimen  unless 
it  is  likely  a  record  fish. 

Miscellaneous  Tackle — Metallic  articles  should  be 
rolled  up  in  a  piece  of  cloth  to  prevent  rust.  A  cheap 
fiber  suitcase  or  a  bag  of  canvas,  such  as  plumbers  and 
plasterers  carry  their  tools  in,  answers  the  same  pur- 
pose as  the  expensive  pig  skin  tackle  box,  and  may  con- 
tain the  following  articles: 

Extra  lines,  leaders,  hooks,  sinkers,  swivels 
spoons  (Wilson),  flat  and  cutting  pliers,  emery 
paper,  bottle  vaseline  for  rods,  screw  driver,  knife 
(Boy  Scout),  oiler,  flat  flle,  extra  guides,  spool  of 
silk,  tapes  (adhesive  and  measuring),  drinking 
cup,  corkscrew,  can  opener,  mosquito  dope;  stout 
cotton  gloves,  field  glasses,  sun  goggles,  wind 


64  THETARPON 


matches,  compass,  camera  and  films  or  plates, 
local  almanac,  pipe,  cigars,  tobacco,  note  book  and 
pencil,  revolver,  electric  flashlight,  two  thermos 
bottles  (pint),  harpoon  head,  book,  Government 
map  of  vicinity,  thong  of  leather,  First  Aid  kit, 
spool  of  copper  wire,  carborundum  stone,  ball  of 
wax,  roll  of  mosquito  netting. 

Clothing — It  is  not  necessary  for  the  angler  to  pro- 
vide himself  with  any  special  outfit  in  the  way  of  wear- 
ing apparel.  A  year  spent  in  the  open  has  convinced 
me  that  it  is  well  not  to  be  dogmatic  on  the  question  of 
what  clothing  some  one  else  should  wear.  But  a  pair 
of  canvas  shoes  are  essential  from  the  view  point  of 
both  safety  and  comfort.  It  is  well  to  wear  an  old  suit 
for  you  are  sure  to  get  wet.  A  coat  is  a  great  con- 
venience on  account  of  the  pockets.  Medical  men  are 
unanimously  of  the  opinion  that  tropic  and  semi-tropic 
conditions  made  it  essential  that  a  hat  should  be  worn 
to  protect  the  head  from  the  fierce  rays  of  the  sun. 

If  one  is  subject  to  sunburn  the  hot  sun  reflected  by 
the  water  will  work  havoc  with  the  face  and  hands.  Be 
careful  to  avoid  the  burn  at  the  first  exposure  by  wear- 
ing gloves  and  covering  your  face  and  neck  with  some 
emollient,  like  mentholatum,  and  then  applying  talcum 
powder  very  plentifully.  A  few  precautions  at  the 
outset  will  render  your  trip  comfortable,  but  if  you  get 
well  burned  on  the  first  day  on  the  water  you  may  suf- 
fer for  a  week. 

Mosquitoes— In  Florida  fishing,  especially  during  the 
late  Spring  and  Summer,  there  is  need  for  an  efficient 


THETARPON  65 


safe-guard  against  mosquitoes  both  in  quarters  and  in 
the  open.  Mosquitoes  rarely  bother  one  on  the  fishing 
grounds  after  sunrise.  On  a  still  evening  protection 
is  needed  on  the  water  as  well  as  ashore.  There  is  an 
insect  powder  known  as  the  "Bee  Brand "  manufac- 
tured by  McCormick  &  Co.,  Baltimore,  Maryland.  It 
is  used  as  follows :  First  agitate  the  curtains  and 
close  the  door  and  windows  of  the  sleeping  room.  A 
spoonful  of  the  powder  is  placed  upon  some  metallic 
substance  (the  top  of  a  tin  can,  for  instance)  and 
lighted.  It  gives  off  a  thin  smoke  in  burning  which  is 
efficient  against  flies  and  mosquitoes.  If  the  windows 
and  door  are  properly  screened  one  is  assured  of  a 
good  night's  rest  after  burning  this  powder  for  but  a 
few  minutes.  It  is  not  objectionable.  It  is  convenient 
to  have  a  small  roll  of  mosquito  net  in  your  kit  for 
use  in  the  event  your  room  has  not  been  properly 
screened. 

With  some  diffidence  I  submit  the  following  mosquito 
remedy : 

HAYES  FLY  DOPE. 

Olive  oil,  8  oz. 

Carbolic  acid, y2  oz. 

Pennyroyal,    1  oz. 

Sp.  Camphor, y2  oz. 

Acetic  acid, y2  oz. 

Oil  of  Cedar,  1  oz. 

This  is  excellent  as  a  repellant  against  all  insect 
pests  and  it  is  soothing  for  sunburn  and  insect  bites. 

For  daily  consumption,  have  your  druggist  fit  you 
out  with  a  small  rubber  phial  with  a  screw  top,  which 


66  THE    TARPON 


can  be  carried  easily  in  the  pocket.  This  dope  has 
been  used  with  complete  success  for  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury, both  in  Canada  and  in  this  country,  by  Mr.  George 
B.  Hayes,  the  veteran  angler  of  Buffalo.  If  the  mos- 
quitoes are  very  bad  one  will  also  need  a  pair  of  light 
leggins  and  gloves. 

You  will  probably  wish  to  fish  the  tides  at  night,  for 
tarpon,  like  their  cousins  the  herring,  frequently  bite 
the  best  at  this  time.  It  is  then  the  mosquitoes  are 
most  active.  An  ordinary  close  fitting  cloth  helmet 
long  enough  to  flow  over  the  shoulders  and  be  tucked 
under  the  outer  garment  is  a  convenience  for  the  por- 
tion of  your  face  exposed  can  be  liberally  covered  with 
the  remedy  and  immunity  gained.  With  proper  pre- 
cautions and  a  little  forethought  the  mosquitoes  will 
not  trouble  you. 


THETARPON  67 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HINTS    ON    FISHING    METHODS    AND    EXPEDIENTS 

IHILE  certain  general  principles  underlie  the  art 
of   capturing   a   tarpon   which   are   applicable 
everywhere,  methods  vary  according  to  local 
conditions,  the  kind  of  bait  used  and  the  nature  of  the 
water  fished.    The  following  suggestions  are  made  for 
the  benefit  of  the  novice  or  the  angler  who  has  taken 
but  few  fish.    They  are  based,  in  part,  upon  consider- 
able personal  experience,  but  in  setting  them  forth  I 
have  relied  chiefly  upon  observation  of  the  methods 
employed  by  fishermen  of  large  and  varied  experience 
with   whom   I   have   fished   for   many   years.     Many 
anglers  of  experience  never  develop  any  particular 
aptitude  for  the  sport  precisely  as  a  man  may  never 
become  a  good  shot  or  billiard  player,  or  a  good  horse- 
man, no  matter  how  much  time  he  may  devote  to  these 
sports.    But  tarpon  fishing  is  a  sociable  sport  and  the 
boats  are  usually  close  together.    It  is  easy  to  note  the 
methods  employed  by  anglers  and  the  success  which 
attends  upon  their  practice.     The  guides  with  whom 
I  have  made  it  a  practice  to  talk  have  given  me  much 
sound  instruction  and  many  hints  which  I  am  sure  can 
be  followed  with  success. 

When  the  angler  begins  to  fish  the  chances  are  that 
he  has  not  had  a  rod  in  his  hands  for  a  year  or  more. 
He  is  unaccustomed  to  the  boat,  and  being  unused  to 
the  seaway,  he  is  clumsy  in  all  his  movements.  The 
rod  feels  heavy  and  strange  to  the  hand.  One  cannot 


68  THETARPON 


get  attuned  to  the  surroundings  and  be  able  to  do 
his  best  until  several  days  of  fishing  have  elapsed. 

Viscount  Grey  in  his  book  on  "Fly  Fishing "  de- 
scribes the  qualities  which  a  man  must  possess  to  be- 
come a  good  angler: 

"He  must  in  the  first  place,  have  enough 
strength  and  aptitude  of  body  to  enable  him  to  do 
a  fairly  hard  day's  work  and  manage  both  a  rod 
and  a  fish  cleverly,  though  he  will  not  require  the 
same  exceeding  quickness  of  limb,  accuracy  of  eye 
and  strength,  which  are  necessary  to  the  greatest 
success  in  the  finest  games.  Quickness  and  deli- 
cacy of  touch,  and  a  certain  power  of  managing  a 
rod  and  line,  akin  to  that  individual  cleverness  or 
genius  which  men  show  in  the  use  of  tools  or  in- 
struments with  which  they  are  experts,  are  neces- 
sary to  success  in  angling." 

Every  word  of  this  is  true  and  applicable  to  tarpon 
fishing.  One  needs  delicacy  of  touch  to  fish  deep  and 
yet  keep  off  the  bottom  and  to  respond  instantly  to  a 
strike.  One  should  be  in  fair  physical  condition  to 
withstand  the  severe  exertions  which  a  good  day'i 
fishing  entails. 

After  these  very  general  observations  I  should  say  a 
few  words  about  the  guide.  He  should  be  carefully 
selected  and  his  instructions  implicitly  followed,  for, 
in  all  probability,  he  is  well  versed  in  the  best  methods 
of  fishing  in  local  waters.  His  judgment  has  been 
educated  by  much  personal  experience  and  observation. 
So  heed  what  he  says  and  do  not  mistrust  his  ability 
because  other  boats  may  happen  to  capture  the  most 


THETARPON  69 


fish.  If  good  judgment  has  been  displayed  in  his  selec- 
tion he  will  be  an  experienced  waterman  and  will  own 
a  good  safe  boat,  capacious  and  roomy,  with  a  seat  in 
the  stern  mounted  on  a  pivot,  so  one  can  face  the  fish 
during  the  battle.  This  is  well  nigh  essential,  at  least 
for  the  novice. 

Let  us  assume  you  have  used  care  in  the  selection  of 
your  tackle  and  that  it  is  in  first  class  condition.  Your 
line  (you  should  have  two)  should  first  be  wetted  in 
sweet  water,  stretched  and  dried  in  the  shade  before 
use  for  this  evens  its  strength  by  setting  the  lay  of  it 
and  thereby  prevents  kinking.  This  should  be  done  at 
home.  Do  not  rely  upon  patent  reel  fastening  devices 
but  securely  lash  your  reel  to  the  rod,  so  that  by  no 
possibility  it  can  come  off  in  the  heat  of  the  battle.  In 
my  opinion  more  fish  are  lost  by  the  breaking  of  the 
leader  than  by  failure  of  any  other  part  of  the  tackle. 
It  is  well  to  break  the  continuity  of  your  six-foot  wire 
leader  by  a  swivel  fastened  midway  its  length.  The 
leader  is  apt  to  kink  and  snap  off,  and  while  many 
anglers  are  sceptical  over  such  use  of  a  swivel  I  am 
inclined  to  believe  it  is  useful  to  prevent  this  dire  mis- 
fortune. 

It  is  permissible  to  double  the  line  back  for  a  distance 
equal  to  the  length  of  the  leader.  Before  beginning  to 
fish  wet  the  reel  pad  and  the  line  for  a  good  distance. 
This  prevents  the  line  from  burning  under  pressure 
and  increases  its  strength.  The  line  should  be  wound 
back  evenly  and  smoothly,  so  it  will  render  easily  and 
it  should  be  staggered  slightly  on  the  reel  which 
facilitates  its  prompt  flow  under  severe  strain.  The 


70  THETARPON 


careful  and  even  winding  of  the  line  upon  the  reel  is 
indispensable  to  success  for  if  the  line  fails  to  render 
the  fish  usually  breaks  off.  So  watch  your  reel  care- 
fully. I  cannot  over-estimate  the  importance  of  this 
suggestion. 

If  it  is  necessary  to  wear  gloves  to  protect  the  hands 
from  blistering  or  sunburn,  select  the  lightest  pair  pos- 
sible for  delicacy  of  touch  is  essential.  Usually  the 
bottom  is  fished,  that  is  to  say,  the  sinker  is  let  down 
till  it  reaches  the  bottom  and  then  the  line  is  reeled  up 
four  or  five  feet.  As  the  depth  of  water  changes  the 
line  is  given  out  or  taken  in  accordingly.  This  requires 
promptness  and  alertness  on  the  part  of  the  angler. 
When  the  hook  catches  on  the  bottom  as  the  boat  drifts 
along  three  or  four  instant  short  sharp  jerks  will 
usually  disengage  it  and  save  not  only  the  time  and 
patience  of  the  angler  and  his  guide  but  also  the  pos- 
sible loss  of  the  tackle.  It  is  difficult  to  act  with  the 
desired  promptness  when  thus  entangled,  or  when  the 
hook  is  struck  by  a  fish  unless  the  hands  instantly  tele- 
graph the  tidings  to  the  brain  and  the  muscular  reac- 
tion is  prompt.  Heavy  gloves  are,  therefore,  a  serious 
handicap. 

It  is  a  great  convenience  to  have  a  mark  placed 
upon  the  line  to  indicate  roughly  the  amount  which 
should  be  paid  out.  The  guide  will  know  the  depth  of 
the  water  to  be  fished  and  he  will  tie  a  piece  of  yarn  or 
string  onto  the  line  to  indicate  approximately  how 
much  should  be  paid  out.  This  is  well-nigh  essential 
for  the  beginner,  especially  in  night  fishing.  It  is  a 
great  convenience  at  all  times  both  to  the  angler  and 


THETARPON  71 


his  guide.  Unless  great  care  is  exercised  in  putting 
the  line  overboard  the  leader  will  become  entangled  in 
the  sinker  or  in  the  line.  When  the  line  is  put  down 
while  the  boat  is  at  rest  use  care  to  avoid  the  entangling 
of  the  leader  by  paying  out  the  line  slowly,  bearing  in 
mind  that  one  might  as  well  be  on  shore  gathering 
shells  as  fishing  with  the  tackle  in  a  snarled  condition. 
Therefore,  before  the  boat  is  stopped  and  permitted  to 
drift  in  the  tideway  the  hook  should  be  baited  and  the 
line  slowly  paid  out  so  as  to  straighten  out  the  leader. 

You  will  probably  be  fishing  in  close  proximity  to 
several  other  boats.  Watch  the  methods  they  employ 
and  try  to  ascertain  how  deep  they  are  fishing  in  the 
event  they  strike  a  fish  as  well  as  the  bait  used  and  the 
precise  location  of  the  fish  when  it  took  the  bait.  Your 
guide  will  be  quick  to  adopt  your  methods  to  those 
employed  by  successful  anglers  near  by. 

The  drag  on  the  reel  should  be  set  at  a  moderate 
tension  and  you  must  understand  how  to  adjust  it  to 
meet  the  attack  of  the  fish  while  the  fight  is  on.  The 
guide  will  adjust  the  drag  until  you  have  gained  suf- 
ficient experience  to  do  it  yourself.  I  usually  keep  it 
regulated  for  a  moderate  strain  and  apply  the  desired 
greater  resistance  by  the  use  of  the  thumb  pad, 
although  some  fish  are  found  to  be  so  powerful  that 
the  drag  needs  to  be  readjusted  during  the  struggle. 
The  application  of  the  thumb  pad  when  the  drag  is  set 
is  attended  with  danger  for  one  is  apt  in  times  of  ex- 
citement to  press  too  strongly  upon  the  pad,  forgetting 
that  the  drag  is  functioning.  The  beginner  should  at 
first  rely  upon  the  drag. 


72  THETARPON 


We  will  now  assume  that  the  boat  is  drifting  with 
the  tide  at  the  fishing  grounds.  The  left  hand  lightly 
grasps  the  rod  above  the  reel  and  the  right  hand  holds 
the  grip  below  it  with  the  thumb  gently  pressing  the 
pad  which  engages  the  line  on  the  reel.  It  is  advisable 
to  keep  the  point  of  the  rod  low  and  at  an  angle  to  the 
rail  of  the  boat.  The  rod,  however,  must  be  so  held 
that  a  sharp  strike  will  not  break  it  over  the  rail  of  the 
boat  or  release  it  from  the  grasp.  A  little  practice  is 
essential  before  proper  form  in  this  respect  is  attained. 
While  it  is  not  necessary  to  hold  the  rod  stiffly,  alert- 
ness must  be  maintained,  for  when  the  strike  does 
come  the  angler  should  be  in  position  to  make  an  im- 
mediate and  adequate  response.  The  tarpon  is  not 
bound  by  any  fixed  habit  in  taking  the  bait.  It  may- 
strike  gently,  or  it  may  take  the  bait  with  a  rush  which 
nearly  unseats  the  angler.  What  response  should  the 
angler  make!  There  is  a  wide  divergence  of  opinion 
among  anglers  of  great  experience  and  observation  as 
to  whether  or  not  the  fish  should  be  struck  at  the  outset. 
Some  favor  striking  back  hard  and  often;  others 
equally  skilled  argue  that  the  fish  by  striking  at  the 
bait  has  hooked  itself  if  it  is  to  be  hooked  at  all  and 
that  no  amount  of  exertion  on  the  angler's  part  will 
affect  the  desired  result. 

Mr.  B.  Kemp  Littlepage,  in  a  very  interesting  article 
in  Field  and  Stream  for  March,  1920,  makes  a  strong 
argument  in  support  of  the  theory  that  a  tarpon  hooks 
itself  when  it  seizes  the  crab.  I  submitted  the  question 
to  Mr.  B.  W.  Crowninshield  for  his  opinion.  Mr. 
Crowninshield  has  had  great  experience  in  sea-fishing 


THETARPON  73 


and  his  opinion  on  any  question  relating  to  the  tarpon 
is  well  nigh  final.  He  thinks  that  many  tarpon  do  hook 
themselves,  especially  when  the  crab  is  used  for  bait; 
but  that  when  cut  bait  is  used  the  fish  usually  take  it 
easily  and  are  liable  to  let  go  if  not  struck  very  quickly. 
I  have  tried  to  drive  a  hook  into  the  jaw  of  a  freshly 
caught  tarpon  by  striking  the  fish  with  standard  tackle, 
but  I  have  never  succeeded  in  doing  so.  After  experi- 
menting, I  think  the  angler  will  conclude  that  the  fish 
usually  forces  the  hook  into  its  jaw  by  the  snap  it 
makes  when  the  bait  is  taken. 

In  any  event  it  cannot  do  harm  to  strike  several 
times  by  pressing  the  thumb  firmly  upon  the  reel  pad 
and  swaying  the  rod  backward  with  energy  and  without 
giving  line.  If  the  fish  has  hooked  itself  this  method  can- 
not injure  the  chances  of  capture ;  on  the  other  hand,  if 
the  fish  should  be  struck  this  has  been  done.  The  next 
act  will  depend  upon  circumstances  and  the  tarpon  can 
be  depended  upon  to  waste  no  time  in  making  the  next 
move.  It  lays  out  a  plan  of  attack  at  once  and  the  next 
few  moments  are  ones  of  great  anxiety.  Usually,  the 
fish  will  come  directly  to  the  surface  to  leap  and  to 
endeavor  to  shake  out  the  hook.  Sometimes  this  jump 
is  at  the  conclusion  of  a  short  run.  More  rarely  the 
tarpon  seems  to  scorn  to  practice  such  a  trick  upon  the 
angler  and  he  may  never  jump.  It  is  fairly  safe  to  act 
upon  the  assumption  that  the  fish  will  jump,  and  that 
at  once,  so  every  attempt  should  be  made  to  reel  in  any 
slack  which  can  be  gained.  The  tarpon  will  usually, 
but  not  always,  run  up  tide  and  the  angler  should 
therefore  fish  with  his  rod  pointing  into  the  tide — 


74  THETARPON 


upstream,  so  to  speak.  When  the  tide  is  slack  it  is 
good  practice  to  fish  over  the  stern.  The  tarpon  may 
jump  close  to  the  boat  on  either  side,  or  it  may  make 
a  short  run  toward  either  side  and  then  jump,  or  it 
may  not  do  either  of  these  things  but  may  make  a  long 
run  in  any  direction,  but  usually  up-tide.  It  is  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  give  any  categorical  advice  to  cover 
one 's  action  at  this  uncertain  stage  of  the  contest.  The 
tarpon  will  make  the  next  move  without  any  delay  and 
one  can  only  meet  the  attack  by  trying  to  keep  a  reason- 
ably taut  line,  so  that  when  the  first  jump  "does  come 
the  fish  will  be  held  on  a  moderate  strain.  If  the  fish 
makes  a  run  for  some  distance  from  the  boat,  the  task 
is  easier  for  the  slanting  line  coming  to  the  surface  will 
indicate  when  the  fish  is  coming  up  to  leap.  It  is 
essential  to  get  in  all  the  slack  line  possible  and  to  hold 
the  fish  on  a  fairly  tight  line  whilst  it  is  in  the  air. 
Many  times  it  will  be  out  of  the  question  to  do  this. 
The  operation  is  helped  by  reeling  in  any  slack  line 
which  can  be  gained  and  lowering  the  point  of  the  rod 
so  that  it  may  be  lifted  when  the  fish  appears.  The  fish 
may  disappear  and  the  line  may  feel  dead  and  lifeless. 
Don't  despair  but  reel  hard  for  the  fish  may  still  be 
there.  The  angler  will  utilize  the  first  opportunity  that 
presents  itself  to  insert  the  butt  of  the  rod  into  the 
socket  which  will  be  found  on  the  upper  side  of  his 
seat.  The  use  of  this  device  helps  enormously  in  the 
capture  of  the  fish.  In  tarpon  fishing  line  cannot 
usually  be  gained  by  the  mere  reeling  in  of  the  fish  but 
this  must  be  done  by  the  operation  known  as  "pump- 
ing." The  angler  lifts  the  line  till  the  rod  is  at  an  angle 


THETARPON  75 


of  say  70°  or  80°  and  then  lowers  the  tip  toward  the 
water,  quickly  reeling  in  meanwhile.  Several  feet  of  line 
is  gained  by  each  operation.  This  is  repeated  whenever 
opportunity  offers  for  it  is  an  axiom  among  anglers  that 
the  fish  should  be  fought  without  respite  till  the  issue  of 
the  battle.  But  the  fish  should  not  be  hurried  by  too 
heavy  pumping.  There  is  no  occasion  to  be  alarmed 
over  the  temporary  loss  of  a  bit  of  line  for  the  tarpon 
will  not  run  far  under  a  moderate  strain.  But  be  prompt 
to  gain  line  when  opportunity  offers,  bearing  in  mind 
that  one  should  keep  a  constant  but  moderate  strain  on 
the  fish  till  the  end.  Always  try  to  face  the  fish.  If  the 
presence  of  a  shark  is  perceived  give  your  fish  all  the 
line  it  needs  and  you  may  save  it.  The  fish  is  usually 
lost  by  hurrying  its  capture.  There  is  almost  an  irre- 
sistible impulse  to  reduce  any  fish  to  possession  and  in 
obeying  it  the  angler  pumps  and  pulls  till  something 
gives  way  or  the  hook  pulls  out.  Many  women  are 
successful  tarpon-anglers  because  they  handle  the  fish 
gently  and  have  quick  wit  to  foresee  its  actions.  I 
have  referred  to  the  record  of  Mrs.  Ashby  Jones.  Mrs. 
Keith  Spalding,  who  caught  the  1920  record  Tuna, 
on  October  13,  1921,  at  Catalina,  Calif.,  caught  the 
second  largest  broadbill  swordfish  ever  captured.  It 
weighed  426  pounds.  Many  fish,  when  skillfully  cap- 
tured, are  found  to  have  the  hook  insecurely  imbedded 
and  clumsiness  or  haste  would  surely  have  lost  them. 
Too  heavy  pulling  tends  to  make  the  hook  work  a  large 
hole  where  it  pierces  the  fish's  jaw  and  to  render  it  apt 
to  drop  out  when  the  fish  gets  a  little  slack  line.  A 
tarpon  rarely  temporizes.  It  is  direct  and  forceful  in 


76  THETARPON 


all  its  actions,  and  like  a  prudent  general,  frequently 
changes  its  plan  of  attack.  It  fights  every  battle  out 
to  a  finish  and  when  you  feel  like  resting,  it,  too,  is 
snatching  a  few  moments  needed  rest.  So  keep  at  it. 
When  a  strain  is  put  on  the  line  the  fish  is  apt  to 
jump  and  every  jump  draws  heavily  on  its  strength. 
But  be  careful  to  gain  a  moderate  strain  on  the  line 
when  you  see  it  coming  to  the  surface ;  for  that  be- 
tokens a  jump  and  every  jump  is  a  crisis  in  the  struggle, 
for  when  the  tarpon  is  in  the  air  it  shakes  itself  con- 
vulsively and  it  is  then  that  it  most  frequently  breaks 
loose.  It  will  sometimes  jump  ten  or  twelve  times; 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  may  not  leave  the  water  at 
all.  If  you  can  hold  fast  for  three  or  four  jumps  very 
likely  the  fish  is  yours.  If  the  fish  draws  too  liberally 
upon  your  line  the  boat  should  follow  and  the  line 
should  be  retrieved  by  pumping  or  reeling  as  soon  as 
that  is  possible.  An  attempt  should  be  made  to  keep 
the  fish  reasonably  near  but  not  too  close  to  the  boat 
and  it  should  not  be  worked  up  on  a  short  line  until  it 
is  weak  and  about  ready  to  give  up  the  fight.  It  is 
awkward  to  have  the  fish  run  under  the  boat,  especially 
when  it  is  fresh  and  full  of  fight.  When  this  occurs  be 
quick  to  insert  the  point  of  the  rod  in  the  water  aft  the 
stern  so  that  the  line  will  not  get  entangled  in  the  wheel. 
When  a  tarpon  is  hooked  in  shallow  water  it  leaps 
more  frequently  and  is  altogether  livelier  on  the  hook 
than  when  the  water  is  deep.  The  males,  while  shorter 
as  a  rule,  are  more  active.  A  female  heavy  with  roe 
or  a  very  large  fish  is  more  apt  to  sulk  and  make  fewer 
jumps.  The  upper  jaw  is  mobile  and  when  the  fish  is 


THETARPON  77 


hooked  through  it  the  mouth  is  held  open  and  this 
weakens  the  fish.  A  fish  hooked  through  the  lower  jaw 
puts  up  a  stout  resistance  for  it  then  can  keep  its  jaws 
in  their  normal  position.  All  of  these  things  have  a 
bearing  on  the  apparent  gameness  of  the  fish. 

There  is  no  necessity  to  gaff  the  fish  unless  it  is  ex- 
ceptionally large  or  conditions  are  abnormal.  Your 
guide  will  be  provided  with  a  release  hook,  which  is  a 
large  barbless  hook  mounted  on  a  line  which  he  usually 
wraps  around  his  left  wrist.  When  the  fish  is  led  up 
to  the  side  of  the  boat  and  the  fight  is  out  of  him  the 
guide  will  grasp  your  leader  with  his  right  hand,  lift 
the  fish  up  and  insert  the  release  hook  in  the  fish's  jaw 
by  a  strong,  quick  motion.  Prior  to  this  being  done 
your  drag  should  be  on  and  the  thumb  should  press 
strongly  upon  the  reel  pad  so  that  you  may  assist  the 
guide  by  elevating  the  rod  and  thus  partially  lifting  the 
fish  into  position  where  he  may  insert  the  release  hook. 
The  fish  should  be  held  on  a  very  short  line — in  fact, 
on  the  leader  only.  When  the  release  hook  is  inserted 
the  head  of  the  fish  will  be  pulled  onto  the  rail  of  the 
boat  by  the  guide,  so  that  he  may  disengage  your  hook 
with  his  right  hand.  As  soon  as  the  release  hook  is 
secure  release  the  drag  and  the  pressure  of  your  thumb 
upon  the  pad  so  that  the  guide  may  be  unhampered  in 
the  strenuous  and  somewhat  dangerous  business  of  re- 
leasing the  hooks  from  the  struggling  fish.  This  oper- 
ation leaves  the  fish  uninjured.  It  should  be  performed 
with  coolness  and  deliberation  on  the  part  of  both  the 
guide  and  the  angler.  The  angler  should  assist  the 
guide  and  the  guide  should  be  careful  to  keep  clear  of 


78  THBTARPON 


the  rod,  for  otherwise,  it  may  whip  over  his  body  and 
snap  off  as  the  fish  struggles.  Conditions  may  be  such 
that  it  is  advisable  to  tow  the  fish  to  the  beach  and  to 
release  the  hook  after  the  fish  is  slid  up  onto  the  shore. 
When  a  fish  is  struck  the  guide  usually  starts  his  en- 
gine at  once  and  moves  clear  of  the  fish  or  other  boats 
near  by.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  apprise  the  guide  that 
such  action  may  be  necessary  by  saying  " strike"  when 
the  fish  is  felt. 

When  two  anglers  are  fishing  from  the  same  boat  and 
one  of  them  gets  a  strike  the  other  immediately  reels 
in,  and,  if  in  the  stern  seat  vacates  it  at  once  for  the 
occupation  of  the  man  with  the  fish.  When  a  boat 
nearby  has  a  fish  it  is  the  custom  to  move  away  as 
soon  as  possible  unless  it  is  clear  there  is  no  interfer- 
ence. Above  all  things,  be  cool  and  refrain  from 
hurrying;  be  sportsmanlike  and  courteous  to  other 
anglers  and  insist  that  your  guide  be  equally  so;  re- 
lease the  fish  unharmed  after  the  battle  is  over,  save 
in  exceptional  cases.  The  tarpon,  fortunately,  has  no 
commercial  value  and  no  amount  of  rod  fishing  can 
have  any  effect  upon  its  numbers.  If  the  fish  is  evi- 
dently a  very  heavy  one  or  is  desired  for  mounting  or 
it  is  one's  first  fish,  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should 
not  be  killed. 

Finally,  and  again,  engage  a  good  guide  and  follow 
his  advice,  remembering  that  he  will  be  an  expert  and 
has  doubtless  captured  hundreds  of  fish  to  your  one. 

The  favorite  bait  on  the  west  coast  of  Florida  in  late 
May  and  June  is  the  blue  crab.  The  crab  does  not  live 
long  if  exposed  to  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun.  There- 


THETARPON  79 


fore,  when  the  boat  is  changing  position  it  is  well  to 
have  a  bucket  of  water  near  the  angler  in  which  the 
crab  may  be  placed  while  upon  the  hook.  This  will 
keep  it  in  good  condition  for  an  indefinite  period. 

In  this  fishing  one  is  apt  to  hook  many  other  species 
of  fish  and  sea  bass,  groupers,  sharks,  rays  and  other 
kinds  take  the  same  bait  the  tarpon  uses.  Sometimes 
one  strikes  a  turtle.  The  only  safe  rule  to  follow  is  to 
strike  at  anything  on  the  theory  that  it  is  a  tarpon  and 
to  assume  you  are  fast  to  that  fish  until  this  is  clearly 
disproved. 

The  late  Dr.  Charles  F.  Holder  was  the  dean  of 
American  Anglers  and  he  spent  his  life  in  the  study 
and  pursuit  of  fish  of  all  description.  I  refer  the 
reader  to  the  chapter  from  his  book  "Big  Game  at 
Sea,"  entitled  "The  taking  of  big  game  fishes,"  which 
embodies  his  long  experience  and  which  gives  many 
valuable  hints. 

I  have  not  had  sufficient  experience  in  the  use  of 
very  light  tackle  to  lay  down  any  hard-and-fast  rules 
governing  this  fishing,  but  the  following  hints  may  be 
of  some  value  to  the  novice. 

The  hook  used  with  both  light  and  3-6  tackle  should 
be  the  same  size  as  that  used  in  the  heavy  tackle  fish- 
ing. One  cannot  expect  to  strike  the  fish  hard  enough 
with  a  light  rod  to  drive  the  hook  through  the  heavy 
jaw  of  the  fish.  Mr.  B.  Kemp  Littlepage,  in  the  article 
I  have  referred  to,  has  observed  that  the  fish  hooks 
itself  in  striking  the  bait,  and  the  observation  of  many 
anglers  bear  him  out.  Hence,  the  ordinary  sized  hook 
is  not  too  large.  The  same  leader  should  be  used  but 


80  THETARPON 


the  line  should  be  attached  to  it  by  a  Catalina  swivel 
or  by  a  slender  bit  of  stout  leather  about  two  inches 
long  with  a  hole  punched  in  each  end.  The  leather  is 
passed  half  way  through  the  swivel  ring  at  the  line 
end  of  the  leader  and  doubled  back.  The  line  is  then 
run  through  the  holes  and  tied  to  the  leather  by  half 
hitches.  This  avoids  the  tying  of  a  knot  which  ma- 
terially weakens  the  line.  The  line  (and  the  reel  pad) 
should  be  wetted  and  the  line  evenly  reeled  back  so  it 
will  render  freely  when  the  fish  runs.  An  ordinary 
multiplying  reel  large  enough  to  hold  about  900  feet 
of  six  thread  or  600  feet  of  nine  thread  line  will  give 
better  service  than  the  heavier  and  more  complicated 
drag  reel  used  with  the  heavy  tackle.  In  my  opinion  it 
is  best  not  to  use  any  drag  whatever  save  the  thumb 
pad,  for  the  pressure  of  the  thumb  upon  the  line  is  bet- 
ter than  a  mechanical  drag  when  fishing  with  a  light 
line. 

Use  as  light  a  sinker  as  possible  and  tie  it  on  with  a 
piece  of  rotten  or  very  small  twine  so  it  will  snap  off 
on  the  first  jump  of  the  fish.  The  fish  must  be  obliging 
enough  to  strike  itself,  for  with  light  tackle  there  is 
little  to  be  done  save  to  accept  the  fortunes  of  war. 
When  the  fish  is  on,  the  strain  must  be  constant  and 
the  fish  should  be  fought  up  to  the  limit  of  the  strength 
of  the  tackle. 

The  angler  should  ascertain  how  much  strain  he  can 
put  upon  his  tackle  by  lifting  weights  with  his  rod  and 
line,  thereby  ridding  himself  of  the  constant  anxiety 
of  breaking  the  tackle  while  the  fish  is  being  played. 
The  tackle  will  stand  a  far  heavier  strain  than  one 


THETARPON  81 


would  think.  The  rod  should  be  kept  nearly  at  right 
angles  to  the  line  of  resistance  and  when  the  strain  on 
the  rod  approaches  the  danger  point  the  line  should 
be  released  by  lessening  the  pressure  of  the  thumb 
upon  the  reel  pad. 

A  little  practice  gives  confidence  and  soon  one  learns 
to  put  up  a  stout  resistance  to  the  fish.  A  rubber  butt- 
pad  is  very  convenient,  for  the  butt  should  be  pressed 
against  the  body.  A  butt  rest,  either  on  the  upper- 
side  of  the  angler's  chair-seat  or  strapped  around 
his  body,  is  not  essential.  Patience  and  coolness  will 
finally  conquer  any  fish  if  he  can  be  kept  on  but 
numerous  accidents  befall  one  and  many  fish  are  lost. 
It  is  not  the  kind  of  tackle  to  employ  when  fish  are 
scarce  or  reluctant  to  come  to  hook.  The  angler  will 
need  plenty  of  sea  room  for  he  must  follow  the  fish  to 
keep  his  line.  In  crowded  waters  an  angler  using  very 
light  line  is  a  first-class  nuisance  to  his  fellow  anglers. 

One  word  more.  If  the  fish  can  be  induced  to  make 
the  fight  over  a  sandy  bottom  the  chances  of  its  cap- 
ture are  much  better,  for  many  are  lost  by  the  line  be- 
ing chafed  off  by  rocks  when  the  fish  changes  direction 
and  pulls  the  line  over  the  bottom.  As  a  rule,  the 
shorter  the  line  the  fish  is  played  on  the  better  the 
chances  of  its  capture.  A  quiet  sea  simplifies  the  task. 

As  I  write  these  lines  I  am  reminded  of  a  remark 
made  by  that  veteran  angler,  Viscount  Gray,  in  his 
classic  book  on  Fly-Fishing : 

"  There  is  only  one  theory  about  angling  in 
which  I  have  perfect  confidence,  and  that  is  that 
the  two  words,  least  appropriate  to  any  statement 


82  THETARPON 


about  it,  are  the  words  "Always"  and  "Never." 
Theories,  rules,  creeds  and  hypotheses  are  con- 
stantly   forming    in    the    angler's    mind.     Trout 
seem  to  make  it  their  object  to  suggest  these  only 
to  upset  and  destroy  them." 
This  is  equally  true  of  the  tarpon. 
The  same  general  principles  apply  in  still  fishing. 
The  boat  is  anchored  near  a  likely  spot.     Twenty  or 
thirty  feet  of  line  is  unreeled  and  neatly  coiled  after  the 
bait,  usually  a  part  of  a  mullet,  is  cast  into  the  chosen 
water.    If  good  fortune  attends  upon  you  the  line  will 
likely  run  out  two  or  three  feet,  stop  a  few  seconds 
and  then  run  out  again.    It  may  go  with  a  rush.    You 
take  up  your  rod,  being  careful  not  to  interfere  with 
the  coiled  line.    When  this  is  all  rendered  strike  sev- 
eral times  to  set  the  hook.    The  guide  will  up  anchor 
and  man  the  oars  or  the  engine,  so  as  to  keep  the  stern 
toward  the  fish  or  to  follow  it.    When  the  fish  is  hooked 
it  is  played  as  has  been  described.     Tarpon  are  also 
caught  by  trolling  a  Wilson  spoon  or  other  lure  upon 
a  long  line.    This  fishing  requires  no  particular  com- 
ment. 

In  still  fishing  crabs  are  very  apt  to  wound  the  line 
so  it  must  be  frequently  examined,  and  sharks  and 
other  vermin  give  you  much  trouble. 

It  is  unprofitable  to  dwell  upon  the  disasters  which 
may  befall  the  angler  during  the  struggle.  The  rod  or 
reel  may  fail;  the  line  may  get  entangled  on  the  reel, 
or  elsewhere,  and  snap  off;  the  line  may  part;  the 
leader  may  fail  by  breaking  off  through  kinking;  the 
fish  may  throw  out  the  hook,  or  the  hook  may  break  or 


THETARPON  83 


spread  so  it  will  not  hold ;  a  shark  may  take  your  fish 
away,  in  whole  or  in  part;  and  finally,  you  may  lose 
your  fish  at  the  gaff.  A  bad  run  of  luck  may  persist 
till  the  guide  views  the  angler  with  profound  disgust 
and  disapprobation,  a  feeling  which  is  warmly  recip- 
rocated by  the  angler.  A  fish  is  counted  as  struck 
when  it  jumps,  and  as  hooked  when  it  is  fast  for  two 
or  more  jumps.  I  have  known  skilled  fishermen  to 
lose  nine  successive  fish  after  striking  them.  So  the 
novice  should  not  despair  over  the  loss  of  a  few  fish. 
Every  precaution  should  be  taken  with  the  tackle  and 
the  angler  must  be  alert  to  foresee  what  maneuvre 
the  fish  is  attempting.  The  tarpon  is  so  rapid  in  his 
movements  that  slack  line  is  unavoidable  at  times ;  but 
the  number  of  such  crises  should  be  held  to  the  mini- 
mum. You  may  catch  four  or  five  in  succession  and 
then  lose  the  next  six  or  eight. 

There  are  numerous  other  methods  of  capture.  Mr. 
Fred  A.  Bishop  has  taken  tarpon  on  a  plug  and  has 
written  of  his  methods  in  the  July,  1919,  American 
Angler.  He  states  that  Mr.  T.  N.  Burket  of  Lincoln, 
Nebraska,  took  a  112-pound  tarpon  at  Chrystal  River, 
Florida,  on  a  light  bamboo  rod,  a  15-thread  linen  line, 
and  a  No.  2  Hedden  minnow.  Mr.  Burket  states  in  a 
letter  there  published,  dated  February  23,  1919,  that 
he  now  uses  a  No.  2/0  Vom  Hof e  reel,  400  feet  of  King- 
fisher No.  33  silk  line  and  a  plug  known  as  a  white 
Tango  with  a  red  head  and  extra  heavy  No.  2/0 
Pflueger  hooks. 

Dimock,  in  his  charming  book  entitled  "The  Book 
of  the  Tarpon "  Outing  Publication  Co.,  N.  Y.,  relates 


84  THBTARPON 


how  he  has  caught  many  tarpon  on  a  fly  rod  with  flies. 
They  are  caught  with  flies  at  the  Gatun  Dam  in  the 
Canal. 

Mr.  Joseph  W.  Stray  of  Brooklyn  has  written  re- 
cently of  his  methods  of  harpooning  these  fish.  He 
uses  the  smallest  size  harpoon,  equipped  with  one  fluke, 
attached  to  a  3-foot  bronze  wire  leader  with  a  spliced- 
in  eye  swivel  at  the  far  end.  The  reel  line  is  attached 
to  this  and  the  rod  is  placed  where  it  may  be  readily 
grasped  after  the  harpoon  is  fast  to  the  fish.  About 
25  feet  of  reel  line  is  coiled  in  the  boat.  The  harpoon 
which  has  a  handle  6  feet  long  and  %-inch  in  diameter 
is  thrown  as  a  javelin.  Every  fish  so  harpooned,  is,  in 
fact,  foul  hooked  and  fights  its  best  because  it  is  not 
partially  drowned  in  the  struggle  and  impelled  by  the 
strain  on  the  line  to  swim  toward  the  boat.  This 
method  of  capture  must  require  great  skill  and  a  quick 
eye. 

In  the  event  the  angler  is  fortunate  enough  to  cap- 
ture a  heavy  fish  and  wishes  to  authenticate  the  catch 
he  should  take  the  length  and  greatest  girth  together 
with  the  exact  weight.  In  order  to  measure  the  fish  it 
should  be  laid  on  a  level  surface  and  the  mouth  firmly 
closed.  The  length  for  record  is  the  distance  from  the 
extreme  end  of  the  snout  to  a  point  midway  between 
the  tips  of  the  caudal  fin.  If  one  tip  of  the  caudal  fin  is 
longer  than  the  other,  which  sometimes  happens,  the 
angler  is  entitled  to  record  the  longer  tip  in  the  meas- 
urement. A  naturalist  records  the  length  of  the  fish 
by  taking  the  distance  from  the  end  of  the  snout  to  the 
last  caudal  vertebra  excluding  the  caudal  fin  from  the 


THETARPON  85 


reckoning;  but  the  sportsman  has  a  different  system. 
It  is  good  practice  to  mark  the  extreme  points  on  the 
board  upon  which  the  fish  is  laid  and  then  measure  be- 
tween them.  The  girth  measurement  is  taken  where  it 
is  greatest.  The  weight  should  be  duly  witnessed  and, 
if  possible,  a  photograph  should  be  taken  showing  the 
fish  on  the  scales,  the  angler  with  his  guide  and  the 
tackle  used.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  form  of 
affidavit  in  the  appendix  which  sets  forth  the  essential 
facts  necessary  to  authenticate  a  catch. 

When  the  fish  is  normal  in  form  and  is  not  heavy 
with  roe  the  following  formula  will  give  the  approxi- 
mate weight  nearly  as  accurately  as  the  ordinary  fish 
scales  : 

Girth2  (inches)  x  length  (inches)  .  , 

J-  Weight 


In  June,  1921,  I  weighed  and  measured  several  fish 
with  care. 

The  following  table  shows  a  comparison  of  the  actual 
weight  with  that  given  by  the  formula: 

Weight  by  scale.      Weight  by  formula. 

(1)  142  pounds        137  pounds 

(2)  120      "  116      " 

(3)  92      "  91       " 

(4)  76      "  79      " 

(5)  72      "  72      " 

This  table  shows  the  ordinary  working  of  the  for- 
mula; but  I  have  found  cases  where  there  were  ten 
pounds  difference  in  the  result,  due,  no  doubt,  to  the 
presence  of  ripe  roe  in  the  fish,  or  abnormal  develop- 
ment. The  formula,  however,  does  not  seem  to  work 


86  THETARPON 


out  with  even  approximate  accuracy  in  the  cases  of 
some  very  heavy  fish.  There  is  either  something  the 
matter  with  the  scales  or  the  measurements  of  record 
fish,  or  the  formula,  as  the  reader  will  note  from  the 
records  of  such  fish  set  forth  elsewhere  in  this  book. 
When  a  fish  is  caught  one  day  and  weighed  the  next,  it 
is  a  mooted  point  among  anglers  and  guides  as  to  the 
loss  of  weight  through  evaporation.  Sometimes  one 
hears  extravagant  claims  made  in  this  regard.  I  have 
conducted  a  series  of  tests  to  ascertain  the  amount  of 
this  loss.  The  result  seems  to  be  that  during  hot  sun- 
shiny weather,  common  on  the  West  Coast  of  Florida 
in  June,  a  fish  caught  about  noon  and  weighed  and  then 
re-weighed  the  next  morning  will  suffer  a  shrinkage  in 
weight  of  approximately  4%  to  6%.  I  am  of  the  opin- 
ion that  this  is  the  limit  of  the  shrinkage  during  the 
first  twelve  hours  after  capture. 

The  average  tarpon  caught  will  weigh  about  eighty 
pounds.  Unless  it  is  the  first  fish  one  has  caught  there 
is  no  excuse  for  gaffing  it  merely  to  get  its  picture. 
Only  those  of  exceptionable  size  intended  for  mounting 
should  be  killed;  all  others  should  be  released  after 
their  length  has  been  estimated  and  their  weight  thus 
roughly  determined. 

When  captured  upon  reasonably  light  tackle  the  tar- 
pon is  the  peer  of  any  fish  that  swims.  It  can  always 
be  found  in  its  chosen  haunts  at  its  proper  season  and 
in  this  respect  far  excels  the  tuna  as  a  game  fish,  for 
the  latter  is  uncertain  in  its  whereabouts.  It  is  a 
sturdy  fighter  and  the  words  of  Job  find  full  applica- 
tion: 


THETARPON  87 


"When  he  raiseth  himself  up  the  mighty  are 
afraid.  He  maketh  the  deep  to  boil  like  a  pot.M 

One  may  go  to  any  good  place  like  Boca  Grande  in 
June,  July  or  August  and  be  sure  of  plenty  of  fish.  The 
sport  has  its  ever-to-be-remembered  incidental  enjoy- 
ments. The  changing  colors  of  the  sea  and  sky  and  the 
movement  of  the  water;  the  presence  and  actions  of 
myriads  of  birds ;  the  marine  life  and  the  serene  aspects 
of  Nature — all  these  gladden  the  heart  of  the  Nature 
lover  and  make  an  impression  as  deep  as  the  capture 
of  the  fish. 

As  you  journey  northward  your  thoughts  will  revert 
to  the  incredulous  friends  who  await  your  return,  and 
you  must  consider  the  form  of  report  you  will  render 
when  you  are  asked  the  question  put  to  Job  thousands 
of  years  ago : 

" Canst  thou  draw  out  leviathan  with  an  hook!" 
The  angler  is  cautioned  that  this  question  will  be  put  by 
friends  whose  ideas  of  a  large  fish  go  back  to  a  certain 
three-pound  bass  they  captured  over  a  decade  before. 
So  if  they  wag  their  heads  sagely  when  you  tell  them  of 
your  exploits  don't  be  crestfallen.  True  genius  is  rarely 
appreciated  in  this  world.  The  art  of  telling  a  plausible 
story  to  your  friends  at  home  is  sometimes  harder  than 
it  is  to  lay  its  foundation  by  the  capture  of  the  fish. 
When  your  simple  and  truthful  tale  is  derided  as  a 
clumsy  and  ill-constructed  story  false  upon  its  face, 
you  may  find  solace  in  reading  these  eloquent  words  of 
a  famous  angler  and  great  man — G rover  Cleveland: 
"It  is  sometimes  said  that  there  is  such  close 
relationship  between  mendacity  and  fishing  that  in 


88  THETARPON 


matters  connected  with  their  craft  all  fishermen 
are  untruthful.  It  must,  of  course,  be  admitted 
that  large  stories  of  fishing  adventure  are  some- 
times told  by  fishermen — and  why  should  this  not 
be  so?  Beyond  all  question,  there  is  no  sphere  of 
human  activity  so  full  of  strange  and  wonderful 
incidents  as  theirs.  Fish  are  constantly  doing  the 
most  mysterious  and  startling  things ;  and  no  one 
has  yet  been  wise  enough  to  explain  their  ways  or 
account  for  their  conduct.  The  best  fishermen  do 
not  attempt  it ;  they  move  and  strive  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  mystery  and  uncertainty  constantly  aim- 
ing to  reach  results  without  a  clue  and  through  the 
cultivation  of  faculties  non-existent  or  inoperative 
in  the  common  mind.  In  these  circumstances 
fishermen  necessarily  see  and  do  wonderful  things. 
If  those  not  members  of  the  brotherhood  are  un- 
able to  assimilate  the  recital  of  these  wonders  it  is 
because  their  believing  apparatus  has  not  been 
properly  regulated  and  stimulated.  Such  disability 
falls  very  far  short  of  justifying  doubt  as  to  the 
truth  of  the  narration. " 


THETARPON  89 


APPENDIX 

Page 

A  PARTIAL    BIBLIOGRAPHY    OF    THE  TARPON     ...  91 
SUGGESTED    RULES    TO    GOVERN    THE    CAPTURE    OF 

TARPON 96 

FORM  OF   AFFIDAVIT   CAPTURE 99 

TUNA  CLUB  TACKLE  SPECIFICATIONS  .101 


THETARPON  91 


A  PARTIAL  BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  TARPON 

Aflalo,  F.  G. :    ' '  Sunshine  and  Sport  in  Florida  and  the 

West  Indies ;"  G.  W.  Jacob  &  Co.,  Philadelphia,  1907. 
Bailey,  E.  A.:    "Tarpon  Fishing  in  Texas;"  Black- 
woods,  158;  281. 
Bishop,    Fred:     "Plugging   for    Tarpon,"    American 

Angler,  July,  1919; 
Country  Life  Library  of  Sport,  Fishing,  vol.  II,  art., 

"Tarpon."    Chas.  Scribner's  Sons,  N.  Y. 
Churchill,  E.  G.  S.:     "Tarpon  Fishing  in  Mexico  and 

Florida;"  Harrison  &  Sons,  London. 
Dampier,  William:     See  "Second  Voyage  to  Bay  of 

Campeche"  in  Masefield's  Edition  of  his  Works. 
Dimock,  A.  W.:    "The  Book  of  the  Tarpon;"  Outing 

Publishing  Company,  N.  Y.,  1915. 

"Florida   Enchantments;"  A.  W.   Dimock,   Peeka- 

mouse,  N.  Y.,  1915. 
Dimock,  Julian  A. :   Outdoor  Photography,  vide  Chap. 

X,  Outing  Publishing  Co.  N.  Y. 
"Encyclopaedia  of  Sport,"  Earl  of  Suffolk,  Aflalo  and 

others:    "Art.  Tarpon,"  Vol.  II,  p.  437. 
Fox,  John,  Jr.:     "Tarpon  Fishing  in  Boca  Grande;" 

Scribners  Magazine,  59 :  213,  Feb.,  1916. 
Gleason,  A.  H. :    "Best  Tackle  for  Tarpon;"  Country 

Life  in  America,"  7:300.    January,  1905. 

"Tarpon  Fishing;"  Country  Life  in  America,  7:247. 

"Thrilling  Sport  of  Tarpon  Fishing;"  Country  Life 

in  America,  1 :247-54.  January,  1905. 
Goode,  George  Brown:     "American  Fishes   (Revised 

by  Gill).    D.  Estes  &  Co.,  Boston,  1903. 


92  THETARPON 


Gill,  Theodore:    "The  Tarpon,  The  Lady  Fish  and 

their  Relatives;"  Smithsonian  Institution,  Mis.  Col- 
lections, Vol.  48.  Quar.  Issue,  Vol.  3. 
Graham,    N.    D.    S. :    "  Tarpon    Fishing    at    Aransas 

Pass ; ' '  Outing  35 :473.    February,  1900. 
Grant,    Robert:     "Tarpon    Fishing. "     Out    of    Door 

Library.    Scribner,  1897,  Vol.  Fishing. 
Gray,  Zane:    "Tales  of  Fishes;"  Harper  &  Brothers, 

1919. 
Griswold,  Frank  Gray:    "Sport  on  Land  and  Water/'' 

5  vols.  1913-1920  (privately  printed) ; 
"Some  Fish  and  Some  Fishing,"  John  Lane  Co.,  N.  Y., 

1921. 
Gregg  &  Gardiner:    "Where,  When  and  How  to  Catch 

Fish  on  the  East  Coast  of  Florida."    Matthews- 

Northrup  Works,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  1902. 
Grenf ell,  W.  H. :    "  Tarpon  Fishing ; ' '  National  34 :258. 
Hay,  0.  P.:     "Tarpon  Fishing  in  Florida;"  Outing, 

31 :378. 
Holder,  Dr.   C.   F.:   "The  Big  Game   Fishes   of  the 

United  States;"  The  Macmillan  Co.,  1903. 

"The    Game    Fishes    of    the    World;"    Hodder    & 

Stoughton,  London,  New  York  and  Toronto. 

"The  Log  of  a  Sea  Angler;"  Houghton,  Mifflin  & 

Co.,  1906. 

"Big  Game  at  Sea;"  Outing  Publishing  Co.,  N.  Y., 

1918. 

"Salt  Water  Game  Fishing;"  Outing  Publishing  Co., 

1914. 


THETARPON  93 


Hobbs,    W.    B.:     "Graining    the    Tarpon;"    Outing, 

23:491. 
Hudson,  E.  H.:     "The  Giant  of  the  Mexican  Gulf;" 

Outing,  45:721,  March,  1905. 
Hallock,  Chas. :    "Camp  Life  in  Florida;"  Forest  and 

Stream,  Pub.  Co.  N.  Y.,  1876. 
Henshall,  Jas.  A.,  M.  D.:    "Camping  and  Cruising  in 

Florida ;"  Eobert  Clarke  &  Co.,  Cin.,  1884. 
International  Encyclopaedia,  2d  Ed. :    ' '  Art  Tarpon ; ' ' 

Vol.  21,  p.  856. 
Jordan  &  Gilbert:    "Synopsis  of  the  Fishes  of  North 

America;"  Smith.  Institute,  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.  No.  16 

p.  261. 
Jordan  &  Evermann:     "American  Food  and  Game 

Fishes;"  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1902. 

"The  Fishes  of  North  and  Middle  America;"  Smith. 

Institute,  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.  Bulletin  47,    See: 

Family  LVL  Elopidae. 
Jordan,  D.  S. :    "  Guide  to  the  Study  of  Fishes ; ' '  Henry 

Holt  &  Co.,  1905. 
Littlepage,  Kemp  B. :   "Tarpon  on  a  Fly-rod,"  Field 

and  Stream,  March,  1920 ; 
Marcgravius,  Georgius : ' '  Historiae  Rerum  Naturalium 

Braziliae,  Amsterdam  and  Leydon,  1648. 
Meek,   Alexander:     "Migrations  of  Fish;"   Edward 

Arnold,  London,  1916. 
Mielatz,  C.  F.  W.:     "Anglers  Battle  Royal;"  Outing 

41 :560-7 ;  February,  1903. 

"Bagley's   Crab   Eating   Tarpon;"   Outing  38:2-7, 

April,  1901. 

'  '  Tarpon  Fishing ;  ' '  Outing  41 :560. 


94  THETARPON 


Murphy,  J.  M. :    '  '  Tarpon  Fishing  in  Florida ; ' '  Outing 

17:398. 

Mygatt,  O.  A. :    "  Tarpon  Fishing ; '  '  Outing  15 :323. 
Nelson's  Encyclopaedia:     "Art.  Tarpon ;"  Vol.  2,  p. 

622. 

Peabody,  J.  D. :    "  Striking  a  Tarpon ; ' >  Outing  29 :469 
Pinckney,  Frank:    " Tarpon  Fishing." 
Eidewood,  W.  G.  Dr. :    On  the  Cranial  Osteology  of  the 

Fishes  of  the  Families  Elopidae  and  Albulidae.  Vol. 

II,  pp.  35-81.  Pro.  Zoological  Society  of  London  for 

1904. 
Seager,  R.  B. :     "Tarpon  Fishing  on  East  Coast  of 

Florida;"  Outing  39:558. 
Seager,  B.  B. :    "Tarpon  and  Sharks  on  the  East  Coast 

of  Florida;"  Outing  39:558,  February,  1902. 
Sterling,  F.  W.:     "New  Tarpon  Ground;"  Boca  del 

Eio,  Outing  63:492,  January,  1914. 
Studley,  J.  T. :    "The  Journal  of  a  Sporting  Nomad," 

John  Lane,  N.  Y.,  1912 ; 

1 1  Tarpon  Fishing, ' '  A  thrilling  and  perilous  pastime ; 

Literary  Digest,  57 :70,  April,  1918. 
Turnbull,    A.    D.:     "Spell   of    the    Pelican;"    Outing 

68:556,  August,  1916. 
Turner,  J.  T. :    "  The  Giant  Fish  of  Florida ; ' '  Pearson, 

Ltd.,  London,  1902. 
Warrender,  H.  V. :    "  Pass  Fishing  for  Tarpon ; '  >  19th 

Century  42:317.    Same  Art.  Eel.  Mag.  130-416. 
Wells,  F.  J. :    "Tarpon,  Adventures  with  a;"  Outing 

25:389. 

Wood,  J.  L. :    "  The  Silver  King  at  Home ;  * '  Cosmopoli- 
tan 17 :30. 


THE     TARPON 


Ward,  Rowland:     "The  English  Angler  in  Florida " 
(London,  1898). 

NOTE 

The  student  will  find  scores  of  articles  in  the  pages  of  Forest  & 
/Stream,  Field  and  Stream,  American  Angler  and  other  sporting 
magazines.  I  have  to  thank  Mr.  George  Hibbard  of  the  Grosvenor 
Library  of  Buffalo  for  his  kind  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  the 
above  bibliography. 


96  THETARPON 


SUGGESTED  RULES  TO  GOVERN  THE 
CAPTURE  OF  TARPON 

Most  of  these  rules  have  been  taken  bodily  from 
those  of  the  Tuna  Club  of  Avalon,  Cal. 

SUGGESTED  RULES 

First — An  angler  must  bring  the  fish  to  gaff  by  use 
of  rod  and  reel  only,  unaided.  Handlining  in  any  case, 
or  a  broken  rod  disqualifies  the  catch.  The  fish  may  be 
gaffed  or  released.  It  shall  be  regarded  as  captured 
when  it  is  brought  by  the  angler,  unaided,  into  a  posi- 
tion where  the  guide  may  grasp  the  leader  and  release 
the  fish  by  detaching  the  hook.  If  the  fish  be  gaffed  the 
guide  must  not  touch  any  part  of  the  tackle  save  the 
leader. 

Second — An  angler  must  fish  with  but  one  rod  at  a 
time. 

Third — All  catches  for  record  must  be  weighed. 

Fourth — Tackle  must  be  exhibited  with  the  fish  at 
time  of  weighing  all  record  fish. 

Fifth — Leaders  must  not  be  longer  than  six  feet. 

Sixth — Double  line  the  length  of  the  leader  only  will 
be  permitted.  No  substitute  for  double  line. 

Seventh — Handlining  the  double  line  or  the  use  of  a 
boatman 's  handline  snapped  on,  or  in  any  way  attached 
to  the  leader,  will  not  be  permitted. 

Eighth — Leaders  may  be  of  any  material. 

Ninth — Notice  to  the  angler:  Do  not  permit  your 
boatman  to  touch  your  tackle  when  you  have  a  fish  on, 
except  as  above  provided. 


THETARPON  97 


Tenth — No  tarpon  shall  be  eligible  for  record  in  any 
class  unless  captured  on  a  wood  rod  not  heavier  or 
shorter  than  those  specified  below  under  the  respective 
classes,  viz. : 

Heavy  Tackle. 

(a)  Consisting  of  butt  and  tip  and  to  be  not  shorter 
than  6'  9"  over  all.    Tip  to  be  not  less  than  5'  in 
length   and   to   weigh   not   more   than    sixteen 
ounces;  or 

Light  Tackle. 

(b)  Consisting  of  butt  and  tip  and  to  be  not  shorter 
than  &  over  all.    Butt  not  to  exceed  14"  in 
length.    Tip  to  be  not  less  than  5'  in  length  and 
to  weigh  not  more  than  6  ounces ;  or 

3-6  Tackle. 

(c)  Consisting  of  a  butt  and  tip  and  to  be  not  shorter 
than  six  feet  over  all.    Weight  of  entire  rod  not 
to  exceed  6  ounces. 

NOTE. — By  tip  is  meant  that  portion  of  rod  from  outer  end 
thereof  to  point  where  same  is  assembled  at  butt  with  tip  fully 
seated. 

Elventh — Lines  used  in  any  class  to  be  manufactured 
from  the  grade  of  linen  yarn  known  to  the  trade  as  No. 
50.  To  establish  a  record  for  the  capture  of  a  tarpon 
in  any  class  the  largest  size  line  that  can  be  used  is  as 
follows : 

For  Heavy  Tackle — 24  thread  line  having  a  breaking 
strain  of  not  to  exceed  65  pounds. 

For  Light  Tackle — 9  thread  line  having  a  breaking 
strain  of  not  to  exceed  25  pounds. 


98  THETARPON 


For  3-6  Tackle — 6   thread   line   having   a   breaking 
strain  of  not  to  exceed  16  pounds. 

NOTE. — Lighter  lines  than  those  above  specified  may  be  used 
in  any  class. 


THETARPON  99 


FORM  OF  AFFIDAVIT  TO  PROVE  CAPTURE 

STATE  OF 

COUNTY  OF 

ss. 

I, residing  in  the 

of ,  State  of ,  being  duly 

sworn,  do  depose  and  say: 

That  on  the day  of ,  192 , 

at in  the  State  of , 

I  caught  a  tarpon  actually  weighing pounds, 

being feet inches  in  length  and  having 

a  girth  of inches,  upon  the  following  described 

tackle:   (a)  A  wood  rod feet  in  length,  weighing 

ounces,  consisting  of  a  butt inches  long, 

and  a  tip feet  in  length,  the  latter  weighing 

ounces,  known  as  a rod;  (b)  A  reel 

known  as  a ;  (c)  a line 

having threads;  (d)  A  leader  of 

feet  in  length;  and  (e) (Bait 

or  lure). 

That  said  capture  was  witnessed  by  the  following 
disinterested  persons: 

of 

of 

That  said  fish  was  weighed  upon  certain  scales  sit- 
uate at in  the  presence  of 

the  following  named  persons : 

Name  Address 


100  THETARPON 


I  verily  believe  that  said  scales  were  accurate  and 
that  said  capture  was  in  all  respects  fair  and  sports- 
manlike. 

The  name  and  address  of  my  guide  at  the  time  of 
said  capture  was  as  follows : 

I  do  further  depose  and  say  that  I  was  unassisted  by 
any  person  in  the  capture  of  said  fish  save  that  my  said 
guide  without  touching  any  part  of  the  tackle  save  the 
leader  gaffed  the  same. 

(Sign  here) 

Sworn  to  before  me  this 

day  of ...192 


Notary  Public, 

in  and  for 

We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  certify  that  we 
caused  the  above  described  tarpon  mentioned  in  the 
above  affidavit  to  be  duly  weighed  and  measured  as 
therein  set  forth  and  certify  that  the  above  affidavit  is 
true  as  to  the  weight  and  measurements  of  said  tarpon 
and  the  tackle  used  in  the  capture  thereof. 

Dated  at this day  of 

192 


THETARPON  101 


TUNA  CLUB  TACKLE   SPECIFICATIONS 

Angling  at  the  Tuna  Club,  Catalina  Island,  Califor- 
nia, has  been  conducted  so  long  and  on  such  a  high 
plane  that  its  rules  may  be  of  interest  to  tarpon- 
anglers.  I,  therefore,  set  them  forth. 

"TACKLE 

Heavy  Tackle — Rod  to  be  of  wood,  consisting  of  butt 
and  tip  and  to  be  not  shorter  than  6  feet  9  inches  over 
all.  Tip  to  be  not  less  than  5  feet  in  length  and  to 
weigh  not  more  than  16  ounces.  Line  to  be  standard 
24  thread  linen  line  manufactured  from  the  grade  of 
linen  yarn  known  in  the  trade  as  'No.  50. 9  Line  shall 
have  a  maximum  breaking  strain  of  not  to  exceed  65 
pounds. 

Light  Tackle — Rod  to  be  of  wood,  consisting  of  butt 
and  tip,  and  to  be  not  shorter  than  6  feet  over  all.  Butt 
not  to  exceed  14  inches  in  length.  Tip  to  be  not  less 
than  5  feet  in  length  and  to  weigh  not  more  than  6 
ounces.  Line  to  be  standard  9-thread  linen  line  manu- 
factured from  the  grade  of  linen  yarn  known  in  the 
trade  as  'No.  50. '  Line  shall  have  a  maximum  break- 
ing strain  of  not  to  exceed  25  pounds. 

Three  Six — Rod  to  be  of  wood,  consisting  of  a  butt 
and  tip  and  to  be  not  shorter  than  6  feet  over  all. 
Weight  of  entire  rod  not  to  exceed  6  ounces.  Line  to 
be  standard  6-thread  linen  manufactured  from  the 
grade  of  linen  yarn  known  in  the  trade  as  'No.  50.' 
Line  to  have  a  maximum  breaking  strain  of  not  to  ex- 
ceed 16  pounds. 


102  THETARPON 


NOTE. — By  tip  is  meant  that  portion  of  rod  from  outer  end 
thereof  to  point  where  same  is  assembled  at  butt  with  tip  fully 
seated. 

NOTE. — An  angler  using  Three  Six  Tackle  is  given  a  handicap 
of  20  per  cent  in  his  favor  in  competing  for  Light  Tackle  Club 
buttons  only. 

NOTE. — In  attaching  kite  to  fish  line  the  Tuna  Club  recom- 
mends the  loop  method.  The  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Club  will 
be  glad  to  explain  same  to  anyone  unfamiliar  therewith. 

NOTE. — All  lines  must  be  tested  either  before  using  or  after 
fish  is  weighed  in,  and  before  period  for  protest  has  expired,  by  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  the  Secretary  or  Assistant  Sec- 
retary of  the  Tuna  Club  if  the  fish  is  to  be  entered  for  competition 
for  Tuna  Club  prizes. 

BULBS 

First — The  angler  must  bring  the  fish  to  gaff  by  use 
of  rod  and  reel  only,  unaided.  A  broken  rod  disquali- 
fies the  catch. 

Second — An  angler  must  fish  with  but  one  rod  at  a 
time. 

Third — All  fish  entered  for  competition  for  Club 
prizes  must  be  officially  weighed  and  recorded,  also 
tackle  must  be  exhibited  when  weighed.  Any  protest 
in  regard  to  weight  of  fish  must  be  made  before  fish 
leaves  wharf.  Any  protest  in  regard  to  tackle  or  man- 
ner of  killing  fish  must  be  filed  in  writing  with  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Tuna  Club  within  24  hours  after  fish  has 
been  weighed. 

Fourth — Leaders  must  not  be  longer  than  six  feet 
except  for  Tuna,  Swordfish  or  Marlin  Swordfish  in 
which  case  leaders  must  not  exceed  15  feet  in  length 
and  may  be  of  such  material  as  the  angler  may  desire. 

Fifth — Not  more  than  two  hooks  may  be  attached  to 
any  leader  at  the  same  time.  Clusters  of  hooks  fastened 
together  in  any  way  will  disqualify  the  catch. 


THETARPON  103 


Sixth — Double  line,  the  length  of  the  leader  only  will 
be  permitted,  except  in  the  case  of  Tuna,  Swordfish  and 
Marlin  Swordfish,  in  which  case  double  line,  not  to  ex- 
ceed 15  feet  in  length  will  be  permitted. 

Seventh — Handlining  the  double  line  or  the  use  of  a 
boatman's  handline  snapped  on  or  in  any  way  attached 
to  the  leader  will  disqualify  the  catch.  The  boatman 
or  any  other  person,  other  than  the  angler  touching  any 
part  of  the  tackle,  except  the  leader,  while  the  angler  is 
fighting  the  fish  disqualifies  the  catch. 

Eighth — A  fish  shall  not  be  gaffed  unless  leader  is 
within  reach  of  boatman.  Throwing  gaff,  harpoon  or 
lilly  iron  at  fish  when  leader  is  not  within  boatman's 
reach  will  disqualify  the  catch." 


104  THETARPON 


MEMORANDA 


THETARPON  105 


MEMORANDA 


106  THE     TARPON 


MEMORANDA 


T  H  E     T  A  R  P  O  N  107 


MEMORANDA 


YC  12336 


